A Simple Man
by With This Naked Truth
Summary: The long-awaited sequel to 'A Mighty Heart': Thor and Halea are tested again when the life of their young son is threatened by Loki and the Tesseract. Together with the Avengers, they fight to defend Midgard from destruction- and their beloved child from a fate worse than death. Rated M for violence and adult themes. Enjoy from Lady Elle:
1. The Aesir King

**A Simple Man**

**An Avengers fanfiction**

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"Sleep child."

I laid my son down beside his sister, stroking his hair with a sigh. He was everything I could have ever hoped for in a son and heir, the spitting image of myself but with his mother's eyes. With a thanks to whatever gods had created my twins, I tucked them into sleep, leaving their room and going into my own chambers.

My wife was already in bed, seemingly asleep, her dark tresses spread across our pillows. Instead of joining her, however, I went out onto our balcony, closing my eyes and inhaling the icy air of Asgard's winter.

In the time after Loki's fall and the destruction of the Bifrost, we had rebuilt homes and rebuilt lives, attempting to return to the way of life to which we had been accustomed. In some ways, it was better and worse- my position as king ensured that our world would be said, but it took much time away from my family, and there were still many other things that Halea had to do as my wife and queen of the realm. I smiled at the thought of my very own soul incarnate, knowing how much I loved her. My wife's beauty went unrivaled in all of the realms and she was exquisite in every sense of the word, from her caramel skin and colorless eyes to her dark hair that she had let grow to the backs of her knees and the womanly curves that bearing our children had given her. She was a great mother and a beloved friend to all those who bowed before her- but no other love could compare to the one we shared. Halea was the wife who had willingly exiled herself for me, the warrior who I had fought beside, the woman I had pledged myself to- she was that and so much more. It was as if that loved defined me, when in fact, it defined us both. Nothing else truly mattered despite the fact that we were together and had our children- for me it was all that I needed to be a happy man.

I opened my eyes as thunder boomed in the distance, swallowing as I thought of my brother. I had mourned him so, but after the birth of my children there had been no room for sadness in this home.

But still, there were times such as these in which I could not push it to the back of my mind.

I thought back to the past and sighed heavily… when it came to Loki, I was numb. It was almost a drugged feeling that had washed over me for at least a year after his disappearance, an unnatural state that I had to shake myself from time and time again.

That first day after, I remembered how Halea allowed no one to disturb me, defending my emotions like a lioness would her cub. I was most thankful to her- and for her then, knowing that she would be my rock. I spent most of the days after that with my head on her stomach and her hand in my hair, dozing in and out of sleep when the bouts of crying had passed. She'd spoken to me in hushed tones of the times of our childhood with Loki, and she made me laugh over some of the foolish things my only brother had done. Halea had caused me to remember the good things about Loki when all I could do was think of how he had fallen- and my heart had hurt so badly then, even as the memories eased the pain just a little.

"Sweetness."

Halea was standing in the doorway of the balcony as she pulled me out of my musing, her eyes intent on me despite how heavy lidded they were. The hem of her thin nightgown fluttered with the night breeze, a smile creeping across my face as I allowed my eyes to wander over her full breasts, "I am coming to bed soon."

"Not soon enough, I must admit," she said, her voice soft and sweet.

It was sometimes difficult to know that the petite, lovely woman in front of me was actually the goddess of war- and one of the most feared in Asgard. However, I knew as well, that it was a mistake to underestimate her; more than once it had been Halea to put me in my place.

She moved to stand at my side, her hand on my lower back as she looked up at me. When Halea spoke it was not a question, just a statement of what she already knew, "I know that look. You are thinking."

"Of Midgard," I murmured, my hair ruffling at the backs of my shoulders. "It has been almost four years now, and still, we are here. What if something has happened-"

"Nothing has happened Thor," Halea assured me, allowing me to wrap my arms around her waist and rest my head on her shoulder. I heard her sigh quietly as I kissed her cheek, the two of us standing there in the sunrise for a time without speaking. She then stroked my hair and shook her head, "But you have lied to me, for you do not think of Midgard… but of our favored Loki: the storm gives you away."

My voice cracked as I spoke, my face hidden in her hair, "It does not cease nor does time ease the pain. I miss… him."

She turned to face me, reaching up to stroke my hair in the manner she knew comforted me most. "I know Thor: believe me, I know. He was a wonderful friend and a beloved brother- and I miss him too. And although it troubles you-"

"Exactly! It troubles me that even after all this time, there is nothing," I replied almost angrily, cursing silently to the wind. My wife sighed and I shook my head, "I cannot continue to think that he is just out there, somewhere floating in the darkness of space."

Halea broke away from me as a careful look crossed her face, her hands wrapping around the banister before us.

"I hope you will not think it… bold of me to say this," she began gently, the thunder quieting slightly so as better to hear her. "But, do you realize that in breaking the Bridge, you sent Bifrost spilling out into the universe- to the rest of the nine realms? I think it a great possibility that Loki fell into another realm… but we will never know unless you decide to let us touch the Bridge again and finish the repairs.

"It is time."

I lifted my head and looked at her again, my brow furrowing as I considered her words- I had refused to allow the Bifrost Bridge to be repaired because it was the only tie I had left to my brother, the last place in which my family had truly been whole. But still, I wanted to believe that she was right, that she was… logical when I was being anything but. Her thumb reached up to trace the line of my eyebrows before she allowed her hand to run down my cheek.

And then I turned back into our bedroom, shaking my head once more, "No."

Halea came behind me quickly, closing the doors to the balcony before continuing her argument. "Thor, it is time to be realistic my love. I have watched you for four years now suffer from guilt over Loki's actions, over his chosen fall. You are not the only one who lost things that night- you are not the only one who lost Loki. And you are not the only one who bears scars; we all do," my wife said, her hands on my chest. Gray eyes searched my own and I sighed heavily, taking both of her hands in mine and bending down to press my forehead against hers. "Just… consider it Thor, please- for me. Because if you recall as I do, there are things- people- outside of our realm that I hold dear," she murmured, tilting her face up to graze her lips against my cheek.

My wife then pulled her hands from mine and moved to stand beside our bed, brushing her hair back over her shoulders. I watched her undo the bow at the top of her nightgown, Halea pushing down her straps to allow her gown to fall off of her body in waves.

"But for tonight, I wish to hold you… my dearest."

* * *

In the morning, I awoke to the sound of Halea humming, feeling her fingers sliding along the length of my back. All I did was adjust myself and sigh, much too comfortable to move. Her feather light caresses threatened to ease me back into sleep once more and I heard her chuckle once, knowing that as long as she had me like this, that I wouldn't move. Then her fingers dug themselves into the hair at the base of my skull and I was immediately awake, feeling her straddle my back. She held me down with her thighs, her fingernails raking down my sides lightly.

"You are awake," Halea stated almost languidly, much to my chagrin.

I turned my head to the side so as to look at her, growling lowly in my chest, "And thoroughly exhausted from last night."

We both looked up at the tatter of her nightgown that she had used to tie my wrist to the headboard last night and I shredded it casually: she had known all along that I could have released myself, but I had not wanted to. I was more content to be her slave than I was to be in control- we both knew that as well.

I rolled over underneath her and smiled, stretching out almost luxuriously upon my back. Halea laughed, bending down to kiss me before slapping her hands against my chest, "Get out of bed, you lazy beast of a man. It is long past time to get the children up."

Once we were relatively decent one of Halea's handmaidens came to help her get ready, brushing out her hair and braiding it. I pulled on my long-sleeved shirt and vest before stepping into my pants, lacing them up rather regretfully as I stole long glances at my wife- I should have thought to take her again this morning. She dressed in a long-sleeved white gown, raising an eyebrow when I dismissed her handmaiden so I could lace up the back of her dress. I allowed my fingers to stroke the back of her neck, feeling a shiver race down her spine as I smiled.

"Do not touch me Thor-King or I will…"

"Or you will what," I asked, challenging her with a grin. I took a step towards her, Halea narrowing her eyes slightly before running around the bedroom as I lunged at her. I chased her across the bed, laughing as she shrieked, "Stop it Thor! Let me be!" She laughed as I cornered her, my arms on either side of her head to trap her there. I whispered sweet nothings to my wife as I kissed her face, pleading with her to allow me entrance.

"Ama? Papa?"

I turned and smiled at my young daughter, her dark curls tumbling down her back. She still wore her nightgown, having just awoken as she rubbed at her startling blue eyes- my eyes. "Oh, come here little one," I cooed, bending down to gather her in my arms. Theia wrapped one of her tiny arms around my neck tightly, brushing her hair back out of her face before she pressed her lovely little mouth against my cheek. She smiled when I touched the tip of her nose, blushing slightly, "Good morning papa, ama… Papa, why is ama red in the face?"

"Well sweetling, I wanted to play tag with your ama and she told me no, forcing me to give chase," I replied, grinning at my wife. She moved forward to kiss Theia, giving me a look before turning to our daughter as she pressed herself against my back. "Its not nice to be mean to papa. Sometimes you have to play- even when you don't want to," Theia said seriously as Halea nodded in reply.

"I know my dove. And I will play with your papa- later."

I smiled at her intimation, watch as Halea pushed on her circlet before going to wake Cierian and left me to help Theia brush her teeth and wash her face.

After all were dressed, we went to breakfast, the food already prepared and the room filled with servants. I lifted my children into their chairs before allowing Halea to do as she pleased, thanking her when she sat my plate before me. She poured spiced wine for the both of us before making the children's plates, the twins smiling at their mother as they ate. I reached out and wrapped my hand around my wife's, bringing it to my lips, "I love you so." Halea only smiled and ran her hand over my scruff before beginning to eat, indulging in some of the sweetmeat- her selection made me look at her twice as sweetmeat was one of the only things she ever wanted to eat when she was pregnant. She must have seen my hopeful expression before I replaced it with a blank look, narrowing her eyes slightly, "You must not even think it Thor. I told you no."

I smiled and simply shrugged, taking a bite out of my apple.


	2. Falling Around Me

I walked amongst the trees silently, listening to the leaves rustle as sunlight streamed through.

It was too quiet.

My hand moved down to where my dagger was on my hip, wrapping around the handle as eyes scanned the forest for movement- a flash of black here, a twig snapping there. My woman was quick and had a knack for being invisible, I had to admit. I spun around suddenly and was greeted by a small blade at my throat, Halea giving me a half smile. She was dressed in a black bustier and tight leather pants, boots laced up her shapely calves. I knew exactly why she had chosen to wear this outfit: she was insanely skilled in combat- incredibly fast, coldly cunning and very acrobatic- but she was a strategist as well.

I'd never be able to focus like I should with my wife looking like that.

She smiled slightly wider as she saw me struggling to keep my head and moved away through the foliage, speaking in a soft tone that was much more threatening than it was comforting, "Do you trust me Thor-King?" I watched as she ghosted around me in and out of the trees, keeping an eye on her at all times. "You are my wife and I trust you with all that is important to me- but at times such as these, my love, you are not to be entrusted."

I barely blocked her first strike as she pulled her spear from her back, Halea stabbing and cutting at me in rapid, whirling strokes. I used as little effort as possible, allowing the strikes to move past me than to attempt using force to halt them- she was much too powerful for that. Halea twirled her weapon and it whipped out in a circular arch, headed straight for my neck. I ducked and returned the blow, my wife spinning out of the way with ease. And then she laughed, pointing to the ground beside my boot- a lock of my hair was there, cut from my head by her blade.

"Wife…"

"Did you think I would spare you," she asked with a devilish grin.

I lashed out with my own blade and a small slash appeared in the fabric of her midsection, her eyes growing wide as I grinned. "This is my favorite top," Halea murmured indignantly, narrowing her eyes. It was not long before more small cuts appeared in her clothing, beautiful skin peeking through the ruined garments. I had not been spared though, my vest and one leg of my pants proving to be in no better condition. She watched me as I took off my vest, like a hawk with its prey.

We fought without restraint, a series of strong strikes on my part forcing her backwards. I watched as she dropped to one knee and gasped uncontrollably, the point of my blade pressing underneath her chin. Our breathing was heavy and the forest was silent, both of us completely still. I smiled as I looked down at her, almost surprised at how calm she looked with my blade at her throat.

"I believe I have bested you," I said finally as she stood.

"Think again."

I felt a light tap on my inner thigh and stiffened, looking down to see where another of her hidden daggers had made its appearance in being aimed at my groin. "The only reason I spare you is because I have so much… fun with this particular part of your anatomy," Halea said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. She smiled before she turned away, and I watched the play of her muscles in her back as she stretched, her skin lush and flawless. Righteous male indignation roared to life inside of me- as did a barely restrained lust- and I narrowed my eyes, seeing her turn as we continued our fight. The force and will to win was fierce as we battled, though it was tempered with great respect and care for each other; I could no more intentionally bring harm to her than I could myself. We challenged each other to be faster, stronger, smarter- of course, I was more thickly muscled than she, but Halea still radiated power and experience that let everyone who encountered her know that she was a force to be reckoned with. No matter how fast I thought I was, she was always just a step ahead and able to block my advances, using what I knew was raw instinct to her advantage. And then she suddenly changed tactics, lashing out and striking my hands hard enough to send my blade flying from my grip. I went for it but Halea was already there, driving the point of her spear into the ground to stop my attempt. I reacted quickly, however, and threw my entire body forward to rip the staff out of her hands. With a kick, I sent her flying and leapt to my feet, tossing the spear behind me and kicking the dagger out of my way.

My chest rose and fell heavily as Halea picked herself up off of the ground, completely enraged.

"Thor Odin-son," she seethed with blatant distant, stretching out her hand. "My spear."

When I did not move, she launched herself at me, the attack so swift I hardly saw it. Halea's shoulder smashed into my stomach as I wrapped my arms around her midsection, lifting her bodily off of the floor and twisting us midair. I slammed her down, her long hair splaying outwards in a curtain of black, feeling her shudder underneath me from the power. But the pain did not affect her thoughts, Halea bringing her arms up behind me and ramming her elbows down into my exposed shoulder blades. I bellowed and she removed herself from where I had held her underneath me, swinging her leg around so she kicked me in the jaw.

"Damn it Halea," I said, touching my bloodied lip as I vaulted to my feet.

I was met immediately by a fierce barrage of kicks at my head and torso, blocking most of them with ease before she kicked me once more in the face. By then I had had enough and grabbed her by the ankle, tossing her through the air. She landed lithely on her feet and tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling. She amazed me sometimes- while my stamina was far superior to most Asgardians, the one in front of me was undoubtedly my match, as she had proved both on her feet and upon her back.

Making my last bid for victory, I swept at her ankles, taking the usual uncouth woman by surprise. I continued my attacks, forcing her into one back handspring after another. Just beyond her shoulder, I could see the river and smiled, watching her near the edge. I made a wild leap just as she finished her final flip, seeing the comprehension dawn on her face as she realized where she was. I brought her down into the water, seeing arches of water fly from her hair in the midst of our grappling.

"Aargh!"

Halea stilled underneath me and I cocked my head to study her casually, smiling to myself. I had one of her arms firmly bent behind her back, beneath her as my legs and chest held her down. I reached up and fisted my hand tightly in her hair, pulling her lovely head back into a pose of submission. The muscles in her sides tensed and pulsed as she breathed, the sound of her pants more than pleasing. But still she did not give in and I knew it was difficult for her to admit defeat, even to me. I tightened my hold on Halea and I saw awareness flicker in her eyes, seeing the familiar signs of her arousal overcome her body- I could never mistake the look of hot desire on her face.

I smiled and leaned down to hover my lips above hers, "Do you concede, my love?"

"If you kiss me," Halea panted quietly, looking at me. "I will have no choice but to submit."

I loosened my hold on her hair and freed her arm, smiling before she flipped us in the shallow water. My hands flew to her hips before I laughed from being startled, Halea smiling widely down at me. "You did not kiss me. Therefore, I win," she said, her face flushed. My wife kissed me and stood, leaving me to watch wide-eyed as she whistled. Freyja raced through the trees and Halea weighted her with ease before taking off through the forest, "I will see you at the castle!"

"Slepnir!"

My steed reared up and lunged after the mare, hooves pounding against the densely-packed dirt. "You will be punished severely dear wife," I shouted out to Halea, pulling up along side her. Her wet hair flew out behind her in the wind, her body moving seamlessly with her horse's. I saw that Slepnir's nose was now at her elbow, seeing how Halea smiled at me when Freyja turned to snap at my horse.

We raced, neck and neck, taunting each other over the wind. I could see the road back through the heart of Asgard up ahead, grinning as I pushed Slepnir forward. And then Halea nudged her horse into mine, Freyja's heavily muscled body slamming into me. "You cheat," I called almost indignantly, seeing her shoot ahead as Slepnir attempted to catch himself. The two powered through turns as if they were not even there, my steed racing after her. Asgardians in the streets dove out of the way, watching us barrel through the streets.

The doors of the stables rose before us and I pulled Slepnir's reins to slow him down, my steed resisting only slightly as Freyja began to kick and whinny in triumph. I rode up along side them as the mare cantered, a smile playing across my wife's face. I could she that she had enjoyed herself, her hips moving easily along with the horse.

"I won." I laughed mockingly, along Slepnir to canter around her, leaning in to whisper, "You cheated- I told you earlier that you would be pay for your wickedness most severely."

"Oh really now," Halea asked, dismounting and walking into the stables. "What would be your method of punishment then, my King? Do you wish to whip me? Tie me, maybe?"

"Maybe."

She smiled and watched as I removed the bridle from Slepnir, a small puddle of water forming at her feet. "Whatever pleases you, milord," Halea answered as we began to walk the short way to the castle. I relished the time I got to spend with the woman before me- she was a thing of beauty and it pleased me to know that Halea belonged to me and no one else. It was my seed that had grown within her, her body that had borne my children- it was this thought and many others that kept me in an almost constant state of bliss.

"It would please me to have another child," I replied offhandedly, my wife turning to face me.

I knew that it was not her wish to become pregnant again, especially after the complications with the birth of the twins: I understood it clearly as I, too, worried for her health. But as content as I was with our children, my heart longed for more- I wanted our home to ring with the voices of babes.

We entered hand in hand, water running in small rivers from our clothes onto the gleaming wooden floors of the castle. I could see in passing the women who were having fits about us messing up their newly cleaned floors, grinning impishly to myself. We talked as we encountered many people on the way to our chambers, Halea obviously amused to no end as they took us in, soaking wet and me half-naked as well. Two older women looked as if they were having an attack of the heart, covering their mouths as I greeted them politely. Soon we reached our quarters, being greeted by Sif and the children. I left Halea with them as I went to change in preparation for my council meeting, feeling a dark sense of foreboding. I must have been in there longer than I had thought, seeing my wife move into the room. She went at her hair with a towel, sighing, "You are going to be late for your meeting."

"Halea, the duties of a king are much less appealing than that of a husband and father. I would rather be with you and our children-"

"But your duties as king come first Thor. You must do as you are supposed to," she chastised, the look on her face severe. I knew that my wife feared that I would grow bored with the throne of Asgard, but in all truth, I had no intentions in letting my kingdom delve into chaos as I watched. No, I would take care of my maiden Asgard as if she were Halea herself.

My wife took my hand as we went to the council room after we were decent, one of the guards sounding our entrance. She was quiet as we went to work, preferring to look over the very shoulders she rubbed lightly. It was both comforting and distracting to have her with me- as focused as her presence kept me on my work, it as well made me want to throw her down upon the table and ravage her like an animal.

"As I said, we would still attempt to fix the Bifrost milord. Three and a quarter years and the progress to be had is-"

I felt my shoulders raise and I moved to place my elbow on the armrest, my lips drawing into a thin line. "All the plans you have brought to me were not feasible or sufficient. I do not wish for something to happen to the Bridge to damage it worse than it already is," I replied in a rumbling baritone that I used to conceal my emotions."

Halea pressed her lips to the top of my head before her hands moved away, all eyes glued on her unimposing figure, "What of Yggdrasil? Is there not some way in which we can channel its power into the Rainbow Bridge- to reconnect it to the rest of the realms?"

"Something like that has never been attempted or even thought of-"

She caught my eye and I nodded reluctantly, seeing exactly where her mind went to.

It was Jane Foster who had inspired the spark in Halea's thoughts that turned her plans for the tree and the Bifrost into a maelstrom of fire. "I want those who know the most of the Tree to set up some scenarios with linking Yggdrasil and the Bifrost. Start working- we will reconvene here in a week," I said before pushing myself from the table and taking Halea's hand. She came quietly as I led her through the halls of our castle, locking the door behind us as we reached our quarters.

"My dear husband, what has caused this madness," Halea questioned breathily as I ripped the laces of her bustier. Her dress fell from her in waves and I hoisted her onto my waist, kissing her as I headed towards our bedroom.

"This madness is in thanks to whatever gods graced me with you and your wonderful brain, dear wife. And we should thank them many times over indeed..."

* * *

I laid in bed, watching Halea sleep.

Her face as relaxed and peaceful from what I could see, the rest obscured by her arm and her hair. Halea's body was in a graceful position, one leg bent at the knee as the sheets gathered around her hips. I smiled and watched her breathe, her breasts rising and falling leisurely.

I kissed her before stretching and getting out of the bed, looking at the scraps of her newest nightgown upon the floor. Our nights usually led to the destruction of something, which were, more often than not, her fragile garments. The castle tailors were having a time keeping up with the demands and I knew that sooner or later, they would get fed up with me. I laughed and shook my head, moving to pull on my pants.

"What could possibly be amusing at this hour," Halea asked, her voice hoarse from sleep. I turned to look at her and smiled, "I was laughing at how we always seem to destroy your nightgowns."

"No Thor, you destroy my nightgowns. Do not say we."

With a roll of my eyes, I pulled on a vest and moved to tie my boots before going back to my wife's side. I stroked her hair back and kissed her, Halea smiling at me softly. "How does the morning find you," she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "It finds me… confused," I replied honestly, looking to the balcony. "The repairs start today on the Bridge but I simply do not know how to feel. I should go, though- I know that much."

"I will be here when you return, then," Halea smiled, rolling over to kiss me before hiding her face in the bedding. I chuckled and stood, giving her a longing glance as I left our home.

I rode down to the Bifrost Bridge, quietly overseeing their work.

It seemed easier somehow to think of how this would benefit my people, than to think of myself and how I felt about losing this monument to what I had lost.

The day passed easily and much progress was made, the builders consulting me and keeping me informed of what they were doing as the alchemists wove the magic of the Tree through the Bifrost- its roots stretched deep through the center of our world up to the Bridge itself, growing with a purpose as if it had not needed to be coaxed into doing so. Although it was moving quickly, it would still be some time until the Bifrost connected us to all realms again.

And then my worst fears came true, horns and alarms blaring throughout all of Asgard.

I turned Slepnir and raced back towards the castle, finding most the Aesir rushing through the halls. "Where is my wife? My children," I asked to no answer as servants brushed past me in making their escape. With a growl, I rushed to my suite, finding the door barred. I kicked it open as Aesir and guards rushed behind me, going to the nursery.

Halea was in front of the door, unconscious and covered in bruises.

"Halea," I shouted, taking her into my arms and pressing my ear against her chest. She still breathed, faint though it was, and she had a heartbeat- she was alive. I almost let out a sob before seeing the Warriors Three rush into the room, looking to Fandral, "Come- take her. I have to make sure my children are alright."

Once she was in safe arms, I opened the door to the children's room, finding them huddled in a corner. Cierian and Theia ran to me, crying hysterically as I knelt down in front of them. I clutched them to me, my son against my chest as I pressed my face to my daughter's curls- my babies were undoubtedly the most precious things in my life and I needed them safe.

"Someone find Sif. Volstagg, Hogun, stay with them."

I kissed them both, promising them that I would return shortly before I stood and went to the weapons vault, my eyes sweeping the room carefully. It dawned upon me as soon as my eyes laid on the empty crystalline box that was supposed to hold the Tesseract- the single most deadly weapon here which as now missing.

I turned to the Aesir behind me, my jaw taut, "Bring me the All Father."

When my father arrived, I informed him of what had happened with the Tesseract, hoping for some sort of guidance as we waited for word on my wife's condition. The Aesir and the guards swept the castles for any signs of intruders, putting Asgard in a state of high alert. My children were with Sif, being carefully looked after while I attempted to figure out what had happened.

"Thor, the Tesseract has the potential to destroy worlds. And in the wrong hands, I fear what world they would inflict its power upon," Odin-Father said, looking more weary than I had ever seen him.

The door opened and I looked at the healer, my eyes searching his. "She is awake sire, but very lethargic- she drifts in and out of awareness in a most troubling fashion. From what she has spoke of, it was... your son that activated the Tesseract. The queen-"

"I need to see her," I demanded quietly, looking down at the man. "Immediately."

"Yes of course sire. Right away," he replied, opening the door and disappearing into the dark.

All the curtains had been drawn, the only light coming from flicker candle flames. Halea was upon a bed, her skin flushed and her breath coming in much quicker pants than it had been previously. I sat down beside her and took her hand in mine, squeezing it gently. She roused after some effort, looking up at me from underneath heavy lids. I brushed her hair back from her sweaty forehead, inhaling deeply. "I know you are tired, but I need to know what happened to the Tesseract," I murmured, my wife's eyes searching the room.

"Where is Cierian?"

I stroked her curls in an attempt to soothe her, "He is with Sif, darling. You must tell me- was it him who activated the Tesseract?"

"The children were just playing," Halea breathed, closing her eyes and swallowing. "The children were just playing. Hide-and-seek. I must have forgotten to warn them against entering the vault- when I went to find Cierian he had his hands upon the Tesseract. He was shaking Thor and his eyes were the most unnatural blue-"

"My love, just calm and speak slowly," I pleaded, seeing her eyes slide open again.

She looked towards where I knew the sunset was, her face looking drawn, "I tried to tear it from his hands and when I did… he screamed at me, but it was not the scream of a child. It sounded like- Thor, it sounded like Loki's scream. And then Cierian dropped the Tesseract, which I lunged for, but by the time I got there the portal was already opening. It was all I could do to get them both in my arms and into their room, but as I tried to close the door to the vault, it disappeared- and I knew no more."

I nodded grimly as I tried to absorb her words, looking to my father.

"I need you to gather the builders- the Bifrost needs to be repaired as quickly as possible. I would go myself but…"

"You are needed here Thor-son," he replied, nodding as he turned. "But you must keep an eye upon your son as well. The Tesseract holds more than just the power to destroy- it can enslave one's mind and drive them completely made. I know, for I have seen its power. Do what you must- I will send your mother to help you."

Halea groaned once before falling unconscious, her skin beading with sweat once more.

I took a cloth from the nurse and began to dab at her forehead, sighing heavily.

I cared for her through the majority of the night and the next day, running between her temporary quarters and that of Sif's, my concern for Cierian growing the more I played Halea's words over in my head again and again. However, no matter of watching revealed anything to me, my son seeming… normal in every way, shape and form.

When I returned to my wife's room, I found her on the balcony, nurses hovering over her as she tried her best to stay polite. "I am with her," I said, dismissing them politely before turning to Halea.

"Thank you," she breathed, her eyes closed and her hair blowing in the wind. "Do not think it ill of me, but I just needed to be by myself for a few moments."

"I understand."

Halea turned to look at me and tucked her hair behind her ear, seeming to search for words. "I do not want to, but I must ask you-"

"How bad it is," I finished for her, my wife nodding reluctantly in reply. "It is bad. We must complete work on the Bifrost as quickly as possible so we can send scouts to each of the realms in search of the Tesseract. Hogun and Fandral will go to Jotunheim, while we go to Midgard- I think it only wise."

"And the children," she questioned quietly, a careful look of calm overcoming her beautiful features. I furrowed my brow quickly and rubbed her shoulder, "I believe it in their best to leave them here with Sif."

Halea turned to look at me fully and shook her head, her eyes locking with mine in a serious manner. "No, it is not. You… you did not see our son Thor and I fear for him; I will not let him from my side after this night. Sif should go to Hel- the Tesseract could be there as well; Hella is sly and only Sif is as devious and cunning as myself. I will go with you to Midgard, but only with our children at our side, where we can watch over them," my wife replied sincerely as she started back into her room.

I followed her, Halea making her way to our sovereign suite and going immediately to the nursery.

"Ama," Theia said as soon as she saw her mother, dropping whatever toy she had and racing to Halea's open arms. I watched them embrace before turning my attention to Cierian, seeing how warily he watched his mother. "Son," I asked softly, kneeling down in front of him.

"Is ama sick too?"

We both exchanged a look and I opened my arms to him, "Sick? Are you ill?"

My son sat upon my knee and I pressed my hand to his forehead, finding his skin almost unnaturally cool. "I do not feel well papa," Cierian said, turning to look at his mother. When he did, his hair parted at the nape of his neck and I pulled it back to reveal a long, almost beautiful- had it not been upon my unsuspecting child- dark mark on his flesh. The mark disappeared almost at once, fading into his skin as if it had never been there in the first place.

I clutched my son tightly and stood, running out of the room to find a healer.


	3. In the Disir's Keep

I cradled Theia against my chest as her head rested on my shoulder, singing softly into her mess of curls, "Sleep, my darling sleep for you are in the Disir's keep. The moon sheds is softest beams and Frigga sends you pleasant dreams, so sleep, darling sleep- you are in the Disir's keep… Sleep, my darling sleep for you are in the Disir's keep. The stars are twinkling in the sky while Odin watches with his eye, so sleep, darling sleep- you are in the Disir's keep."

"Papa," Theia asked quietly, sucking on her thumb as she looked at me.

"Yes sweetheart?"

She raised her head to look at me, looking towards her bedroom door. I was currently pacing in front of the nursery, listening to the murmurs of the healers as they attempted to tend to Cierian. I could hear how resistant he was, knowing that Halea was trying her best to calm him down so that they could assess the situation. "Is Cierian going to be okay?"

"Of course," I assured her, stroking her cheek softly. "Your brother is going to be just fine."

Content with my answer, my daughter returned her head to my shoulder and closed her eyes, humming along with me quietly until she slumbered. "Sleep, darling sleep- sleep safely, well and deep. The gods are watching over you, and papa is watching too so sleep, darling sleep. You are in your father's keep…"

The door opened to the nursery and one of the healers escorted me in, looking at Theia. "You should put the child down, milord. And come quickly- please," the woman said quietly, my daughter mumbling softly in her sleep.

I took her to her bed and laid her down, tucking her in. I pressed a kiss to her forehead before standing and putting out the candle over the headboard, returning to the open room where Halea's maternity bed had once been, seeing her sitting in her rocking chair with Cierian in her lap. Her fingers stroked his hair, my wife making almost inaudible noises as she rocked back and forth slowly. I could tell, from a single look, that she was no longer here, Halea staring at the far wall with tears running down her cheeks.

"Tell me what has happened," I demanded, turning to the group of healers.

"Thor-King… the Tesseract's energy is unparalleled in all of the realms, but it is of an organic nature. When the prince activated the Tesseract, its energy source needed a verve to activate it," the head healer said, visibly uncomfortable. "That source… was Prince Cierian."

It felt as if the mere words had ripped my heart out of its chest, Halea keening quietly as she tightened her hold on our son- like only she could hold him there. "Its killing him, is it not? The further it gets from Asgard?"

"Yes. His birth as Asgardian has slowed the process, keeping the Tesseract from activating fully- but he is still a child. The power will drain him."

I ran my fingers back through my hair before pushing my palms into my eyes, tortured by the very thought of losing Cierian. He was my legacy, but more so, he was my child, my very flesh and blood- the very essence of me. I knelt down at Halea's side, pressing my lips to my son's curls as I apologed to him quietly. I could see that his skin was flushed, his breathing slightly faster than normal as Halea stroked the small beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Not our boy, Thor," she whispered hauntingly, turning to face me slowly. "Not our boy."

My mind wandered back to the moment in which I had found out that Halea was pregnant, gripped by an inexplicable fear that I wouldn't be able to protect the baby. I had been scared of the world- when now, it seemed that I should have feared my own home. "I should have protected you," I murmured into his curls, feeling all control as a father slip away with every labored effort behind Cierian's breath. I looked at his long lashes as they pressed against his cheeks, knowing that he was one of the greatest loves in my life. Fate was threatening to rob me of the very gift it had given me, my great joy.

"He is a fighter, just like his mother," I said, looking up at Halea. "And you cannot consider any other possibility than Cierian being well, alright? You must not lose yourself in grief because you have to stay strong for this family- for Cierian and Theia, for me- because there is no possible way I can do what I need to do without you, Halea."

She simply turned her head and began to hum, her mind going somewhere far so as to avoid the pain. I sighed as I stood, almost startled when my wife wrapped her fingers around mine. "Complete the damned bridge already, Thor. I do not care what it takes- you have every set of hands upon it until its completion and get the Aesir to all of the realms. I demand that from you."

Knowing that she had never demanded anything from me, I nodded, "I will."

The construction on the bridge went into overdrive as word of Cierian's plight moved throughout the kingdom, the Warriors Three and I working side by side with the builders to finish what they had started. I oversaw the plans and consulted with the architects, allowing them to take the helm of the project as I preferred to put in manual labor. My days left little time with my family, the children usually in bed by the time I had dragged myself home. I would undress and eat whatever the servants had left for me before bathing and promptly dropping into bed. Halea would always be there, Cierian against her chest and her arm around Theia, half-smiling when I wrapped my arm around all of them and pulled them close. It was then that I could find some semblance of peace, even while knowing that I was waiting for an absolution that, for my son and my family, might never come.

* * *

"What are your thoughts Heimdall?"

I stood in the skeleton of the new Observatory, my old friend at my side. I drank from a pitcher of cool water, looking at the bruised and broken skin over my knuckles before dismissing my trivial pains as I thought of my child.

Heimdall looked out over the raging river through the glass below our feet before nodding more to himself than to me, "It will be some days more until the Observatory is complete, Asgardian lord. But the minute that alchemists have completed their work on my control panel and have stimulated the Bifrost, the universe will be open to you. What you seek is out there Thor-King; you must simply find it… And so yes, it will be some days more, but only five or six at the most."

"Thank you, my friend," I said, pressing my hand to his shoulder before turning back towards the castle.

Halea was waiting, sitting on the edge of the bed when I walked in. She was brushing her hair absentmindedly, laying down her brush to look at me, "I have run you a bath. Go in and sit- I will join you after I have made sure the nurse is looking after Cierian."

I did as she said, lowering myself into the water and wincing. The cuts and abrasions on my hands stung but it was a welcome pain, the heat of the water forcing me to sigh contentedly. I immersed as much of body as I could in the water, closing my eyes and allowing myself to be lulled to near sleep.

Her footsteps were soft and almost inaudible, but I knew that Halea was there, her thin fingers trailing over my chest before they were replaced by a soft sponge, the heavy smell of perfume making me feel more lethargic than I had been previously. The woman was truly my other half, knowing exactly where I felt the aches deepest and taking care to work them from my body, leaving me in a state that made me feel as if I were a huge gelatinous mass of nerves and hormones. "I will wash your hair and then you can meet me in bed- is that alright," Halea asked, her voice low in my ear. I nodded, feeling my throat tighten ever so slightly as her hands moved to my hair. She massaged my scalp until I was moaning low in my chest, my head lolling from side to side in an effort to escape her. Halea chuckled before taking a pitcher and rinsing my hair, pressing a kiss to my newly-washed crown.

"Do not make me wait, Odin-son."

She disappeared into the bedroom and I looked after her, noting the way her robe stretched tightly over her hips. I raised the stopper on the tub, toweling off just barely before following after my wife. Halea had her back to me and was in the process of putting up her hair when I came up behind her, grabbing her roughly. I had not had the chance to take her in many nights, being as we had both been beyond exhausted and in light of the children taking up residence in our bed. She gasped as I ripped open her robe and pushed it back from her shoulders, my hands wrapping around her upper arms. I kissed her feverishly, pushing up against her as our mouths battled for dominance. I was hungry for her and as my hands gripped her round hips, I reveled in the softness of her, Halea pulling me towards our bed.

I pushed her down and trailed my fingers down her sides, seeing the goose bumps I raised there. Halea's nipples stiffened, her hips bucking forward slightly before she looked at me, silent even despite the demanding quality I saw in her eyes. "Thor-" I moved and buried my face in her womanhood, reveling in the taste of her and in how she responded when I would do this to her. The more I pleased her, the more gratification I received, noting how one of her hands was in a death grip with our blood-red sheets while the other was fisted in my hair. She cried out, her hips moving in time with my ministrations, "Please, please. If you love me, please!"

I mounted her and growled, the feel of her wrapping around me like heaven. She thrashed almost leisurely underneath me, her hair splayed in every which way. I looked at the hand she had tangled in her curls and released it before promptly sliding my fingers through hers. Halea wrapped her legs around my waist and I felt her muscles tighten around me, my eyes seeming to roll for a moment. My strokes were swift and deep, both of us simply wanting completion that we received in a flurry of movement and lust and heat.

I collapsed on top of her with a gasp, Halea entwining her legs around my own. She buried her face in my still-wet hair, the sound of her quiet sobs truly audible after a few more moments.

"Halea? Have I harmed you," I asked, raising off of her body with some difficulty.

My wife shook her head before turning away from me and I moved to lay beside her, my arm around her shoulders. She was silent for a long time before she reached up to wipe away her tears, exhaling quietly, "He is our son."

"Oh sweetling," I murmured as I pressed my face to her hair. "Work on the Bridge is to be completed before the week's end and the scouting parties have already been assembled. We will go to Midgard..."

"And I will not have him away from me Thor, I want to be with my son whenever the Tesseract is found so we can get him to wherever it is. The thought of him being alone if anything happens- I could not bear it," Halea replied, turning to look at me. I nodded, knowing that I felt the same, and pulled her against my side, pressing my nose to her curls. She smelt of honey and sex, a scent that exuded from every pore of her body.

She kissed my chest and sighed, "I love you, Thor. I truly do."

"I know, for it is how I love you."


	4. A Shield

I awoke, feeling both hopeful and distrustful of how things were unfolding.

The Bifrost Bridge was complete, the search parties assembling already. The Warriors Three were going to Jotunheim, unsure of what they would find after Loki had attempted to destroy the world of his birth, while Sif prepared for Hel almost excitedly, the underworld seeming just another challenge for her to conquer. I was leaving Asgard in Odin-Father's hands, stepping down as king to return to my roots as a warrior.

The door opened and turned my head to look at Halea, my wife smiling at me softly. Her face was so peaceful and loving, even despite the trepidation she felt.

"Good morning- everyone is up but you," she murmured, opening the curtains to let light flood into the room.

I could see her more clearly then, Halea apparently having butchered her hair until her curls tumbled just past her shoulders. "What on earth have you done?" My wife looked at me and rolled her eyes, pulling off her leather vest in exchange for a bustier underneath her armor, "I cut my hair Thor, people do it every day. A long flowing mane is perfectly fine for a queen, but impractical for a warrior- for I am not queen now. So get up. Up."

I rolled out of bed with a groan and went to bathe, coming back to find her cleaning the room, my clothes laid out at the foot of the bed. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as I pulled on the black pants reminiscent of her own, my gray shirt tight underneath my metal vest and cape. "You look well, milord," Halea said as I pulled her to me, tucking my hair behind my ear. I kissed her and she smiled, brushing her nose against mine before moving away and getting her shoulder bag.

"You should take a moment and breathe before you meet me at the Bridge. I will wait for you."

I looked around the room, noting how strange and... empty my home seemed without the rest of my family here. The light and the joy and the laughter that they brought to here- and into my life as well- as strangely absent when they were not near; it only made me want to gravitate towards them in every moment of the day. I prepared myself to leave, taking hold of Mjolnir before spotting something silver peeking out from behind Halea's pillow. When inspecting further, I found it to be a chain from which a small, heart-cut emerald dangled. I had seen the necklace before, when Halea had favored the jewelry in her youth, but for her to sleep with it now under her pillow seemed odd.

They were waiting for me at the Bridge, all of Asgard seeming to have turned out for our departure. There were flowers being thrown and bells being rung, the sound of singing almost like a roar of thunder in the background.

"Thor."

My father stepped up from in front of the Aesir, gripping my forearm as I did the same for him and smiling at me, "You look well, son. The Aesir are prepared for any word of the Tesseract and they will be wherever it is- there will undoubtedly be a fight for it, but you know the Asgardians. We will not fail, and neither will you. Take care of our family Thor."

I nodded before embracing him, turning as I saw my children play.

Halea again had the qualities of a lioness, sheathing Brunhilda on her hip before kneeling down to talk to Cierian seriously, "Come here, child. You know you can't play this hard. Now Cierian- come." He ran to her, his breathing slightly more labored and lethargy evident in his movements. She lifted him into her arms as Theia turned to smile at me, her pudgy little hands swiping at her curls.

"Papa!"

I fastened Mjolnir to my belt before swinging my daughter into the air, laughing before pressing my lips to her forehead. I joined Halea and kissed her, my wife brushing her cape out of the way. "I found this underneath your pillow- you seemed to have forgotten it," I said as I held out the necklace to her, Halea looking at it for a long moment. Her eyes narrowed as they tightened around the edges, her lips drawing into a thin line. "Thank you." Halea took the necklace and after some initial difficulty with Cierian in her arms, fastened it around her throat. I watched her fingers as they stroked the emerald, Halea letting out a heavy breath before allowing it to fall against her chest.

The scouting parties began their journeys to their appointed realms, the Bifrost rushing underfoot in a manner that sent a vibration throughout us all. Theia was insanely curious about the Bifrost, asking me many questions of how it worked and why we used it so- she had, after all, always been the more curious of my children. It had long been the assumption of my wife and I that when it came time for her to affirm herself as a goddess, it would be of knowledge.

Soon, it was our turn, the four of us stepping into the Observatory.

"Thor-King, Queen Halea," Heimdall greeted us, forcing his sword into the control panel and turning us towards the realm of Midgard.

"My hand," Halea murmured, reaching out to me.

I grasped her hand, entwining our fingers before sucking in a calming breath. The portal opened up before us, Cierian pulling away from his mother to stare into its depths. I watched the maelstrom grow, feeling that long-forgotten pull of the portal to Midgard. I closed my eyes and tightened my arm around Theia, "To Earth."

When I had opened my eyes we had arrived in Midgard, seeing the changes it had undergone.

Where once the rune had been surrounded by sand in every direction for several miles, there was now an entire city built around us. My hand tightened around Halea's as we were surrounded by an army of men, my eyes narrowing slightly at the sound of alarms blaring and the bright, flashing lights. Theia's tiny arms tightened around my neck and I heard her whimper, reaching towards Mjolnir.

"No Thor-"

"Back away from our guests, please," a familiar voice came, my head turning to its owner. The SHIELD agent we had met before was smiling at us, waving off his soldiers, "Thor, Halea. Its nice to see you again- and your family. Cute kids."

I turned to Phil Coulson, my hand upon my daughter so as to comfort her. "Thank you. Much has changed here, son of Coul- what is the reason behind this state of madness," I questioned, looking at the mass exodus of the people being loaded into mechanical vehicles of both land and air. His eyes darkened slightly before he looked to the sky, one of the aerial vehicles landing near us.

"You should come with me," Coulson replied, Halea looking to me before nodding.

We followed him towards the vehicle, a tall, dark-skinned man stepping out and turning to face me. He reminded me much of my father with him imposing demeanor and eye patch, the man turning to Agent Coulson. "Debrief me," he said seriously, ignoring us for the time being.

"Well Director Fury, the Cube began to emit some sort of radiation that we have never encountered before. Dr. Selvig authorized the evacuation-"

"Erik," Halea questioned, smoothing down our son's curls. The man named Fury turned to her and she looked at him fearlessly, "He is a friend- and right now, we are in desperate need of friends…"

I looked to Coulson and nodded, adjusting Theia in my arms. "Our son touched the Tesseract- it is sort of like a box of raw… power- and now he is becoming more and more ill. We must find it, but we cannot do it alone. I gave you my allegiance in defending this realm… but now I need your help in defending my child," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice from breaking.

"A box? What kind of box?"

They lead us into an underground chamber, talking amongst themselves and another woman.

Halea and I kept close to one another, the twins laying startled in our arms. We came into an open room, my wife gasping quietly as we watched all of the men rushing around.

There it was: the Tesseract.

"Doctor Selvig, inform me of the box's activity please," Fury said, our old friend coming around to greet him. Once he laid eyes upon us, I smiled, my eyes glued to the Tesseract. "Erik, you have no idea how glad I am to see you, my friend. And I am thoroughly pleased to know that it was you who found the Tesseract-"

Everyone turned to me and I looked at their faces, "What? What is the matter?"

"Thor, you're saying that the Cube… you know of it? Of its true nature," Erik asked, launching into a dialogue of how he wished to learn more about it. I attempted to interrupt him many times, Halea's brow creasing the more time passed. "The box is nothing but pure energy- dark energy. It needs to return to Asgard where people versed in its workings can return it to its dormant state. Its power draws from my son and I want him released, now!"

"Returned to Asgard," Fury asked almost in disbelief, looking at me. "Why should I let you do that?"

I looked at the Tesseract and stepped back, pulling Halea and Cierian with me, "Because the portal is opening once more."

Knowing that there was nothing I could do to stop the Tesseract from activating, I grabbed Halea's hand and we ran for cover, Fury shouting orders to the men in suits around him. The people in white coats rushed to clear the laboratory, Halea and I looked at the Tesseract, hoping to discover where it would go next.

But the Tesseract was not going anywhere.

The shockwave from the massive portal knocked everyone off of their feet, the vortex opening on the far side of the room. I pulled the twins underneath me, Halea moving to shield them with her body as well as her arm wrapped around my neck. The light was blinding and so I turned to look at her face, seeing her eyes glow until they were the most vivid, unnatural blue color that reminded me of jewels.

"Freeze! Right there," I heard on the soldiers shout, turning to look at the end of the vortex.

"My Gods…"

Standing before me was a man cloaked in green and gold armor, his back to me with waves of dark hair tumbling around his shoulders. He stood to his full height and I knew without a doubt of who had emerged from his self-exile and from that portal.

I heard Halea's breath hitch before she screamed out, "Loki!"

He turned and began to wield his staff at the men surrounding him, blasting them with what looked like to be energy from the Tesseract.

"Get up Halea- take the children," I whispered, trying to pull my wife to her feet. "Get up!"

I pushed her towards the door and gave a fleeting glance to the twins, pulling Mjolnir from my hip. "Brother, stop this-"

"Come near me and I will slit your throat Odin-son," Loki said, his voice thin and venomous. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles, my brother looking more emaciated and sickly than I had ever seen him. He walked towards the scientists slowly before turning his staff on the majority of them, Erik stoic as he stood by the device the Tesseract was in. "You do not tremble before me mortal; why is that? Is it that you do not fear me, that you do not fear death?"

"Death is nothing to be feared," Erik replied bravely, looking at Loki.

I was painfully aware of how my actions would reverberate throughout the fold that was my life, knowing that how I approached my brother would affect both my wife and children. I moved forward slightly, inhaling deeply, "Loki please. You do not have to do this."

"You care for this human then, Thor? Its so very typical of you to love things that you should not," Loki sneered, reaching out with his staff. "Besides, I have no choice- after all, you forced my hand- and now? This is much bigger than I." He pressed the point of the staff at Erik's chest, forcing me to watch black overcome his eyes fully before it receded to leave them as blue and cold as Halea's had been. When Erik spoke next, it was layered with concern for Loki, artificial and derived from my brother's power, "Milord, we must move the Tesseract if you plan on using it. The backlash from the portal's energy will destroy this entire building-"

"Using it? For what," Fury asked, moving to align himself beside me. Loki only narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You will see. This entire world will see- and then it will kneel before me, their true god."

"This is madness Loki," I roared, attempting to reason with him.

Loki pointed the staff at Fury and I lunged out with Mjolnir to deflect the blast, both us flying back from the force. I watched from where I had landed on my back, unable to feel my hands and feet for a moment. He bewitched a few of the other men, telling Erik to take the Tesseract.

"No," I said as I attempted to get to my feet, seeing the chamber began to cave in on itself. I grabbed the man named Fury and pushed him towards the door, looking after Loki. We locked eyes for a long moment before he disappeared, the falling of rocks and cement keeping me from following after him. "Thor, there is nothing you can do right now! We have to get to the surface or we're gonna get buried- and then what can you do," Fury said, looking towards the exit. I gave up and followed after him, navigating the tunnels. He was talking on a small device and from the snippets of conversation I could snatch, Loki was being followed by another one of his agents, the efforts being thwarted by one of the men that my brother had taken with him.

"Whatever you do, do not let the Cube leave with him," Fury shouted as we broke the surface. I searched for my family before seeing the man getting into the aircraft he had come from, joining him. He looked at me in a strange manner and my hand tightened on Mjolnir, "He is my brother, my son's life is hanging in the balance and he took my friend- this is as much my fight as it is yours, Fury."

"Call me Nick."

We raced through the sky, the horizon growing dark and stormy the more I thought of fighting my brother. "There. He's headed for the perimeter of the base- if he breaks the gate, he's in the wind," Nick Fury shouted over the immense noise of the vehicle, pointing to a small land vehicle racing towards a tall fence.

I could see Loki turn towards us and raise the staff, Fury and I jumping when the aircraft was hit.

I landed on my feet and called my lightening, challenging it through Mjolnir and firing at Loki, my brother's small convoy evading the blast.

"No!"

Loki breeched the perimeter and I looked after him, briefly wondering if I should follow after him. And then my thoughts turned to Halea and the twins, knowing that they were my first priority and that I could not do anything for them dead- I could not take Loki alone.

"Thor, we have your family. Come with me to the Hive- I'll explain everything there," Fury said as he came to stand over my shoulder.

I called a massive storm, the sudden torrent of rain falling down in sheets as the lightening streaked across the sky. It was my message to Loki, letting him know that no matter where he would go, that I would follow until the end of my days.

"You have been warned, brother."


	5. Assemble

The so-called Hive was a much larger, massive aircraft that took off promptly once Nick Fury and I had boarded. As soon as I had worked my way past their guards, I spotted Halea standing in front of a massive window, calling her name.

My wife turned and ran to me, allowing me to see her tears briefly before she threw her arms around me. "Oh! I thought I lost you when the portal created a sinkhole underneath the city- it caved in and I thought you dead Thor-King. You must understand that we are married and we have children now; I will not have you playing vigilante, especially without me. I love you, I do but you are being reckless husband, and I cannot bear the thought of losing anymore than I already have," she whispered, her hand curving around the back of my neck as she pressed her body against my own. Halea pulled back long enough to kiss me and I smoothed back her hair before looking around, "Where are the children?"

"They are laying down. Cierian is getting more and more ill- the healers here have offered to look at him, but I thought we should wait."

I cupped her face in my hand and looked in her eyes, trying to see if they would glow blue once more.

"What are you doing Thor," Halea asked with some difficulty, pulling away from me. I did not answer her, instead turning to where Coulson and Fury waited for me as I found myself troubled. "You told me you would explain," I said, taking off my cape and handing it to my wife when she held her hand out. "I wish to check on my children, and then we will talk."

They nodded and I was led through the many hallways by Halea until we reached two rooms, my wife opening the door to one quietly. "The rooms adjoin- the other is ours and this is the children's. Go wash yourself up and then come lay with us," my wife murmured, kissing me before disappearing. I went to our room and sat on a relatively uncomfortable bed, running my fingers back through my hair. I took a moment for myself before going to wash my face and hands, taking off my undershirt to simply wear my vest. By the time I went to go look at my children, Halea was asleep, the twins each tucked underneath her arms. "I will not fail you," I said, echoing that long-spoken promise I had made to both of my children while Halea had carried them within her womb. I pressed a kiss to my wife's forehead- debating silently whether or not she should be allowed to stay with them- before covering the three in a thin blanket, returning to the open area that was reminiscent of my council chamber.

"Alright," I said as I folded my arms over my chest, looking between the two men. "What is our plan?"

"The last time you came to Earth, we studied you as well as we could from afar- you're a rare breed, you and your wife. And you, of course, pledged yourself to SHIELD- in doing so, you became a part of the Avengers Initiative, a safeguard to the defense of Earth," Nick Fury said, moving to look at the screens around us. Many pictures of different people came up, including those of Halea and I. "Thor, god of thunder, and Halea, goddess of war… Tony Stark, the Iron Man. Steve Rogers- better known as Captain America. The Hulk, Doctor Bruce Banner. Agent Natasha Romanoff, a spy… and Clint Barton- Hawkeye."

I pointed to the last man, knowing him as the soldier who had been forced to aid Loki in his escape, "This man was one of yours."

"So was Doctor Selvig. He was one of yours too," Coulson said, nodding in reply. "And speaking of your people, we sent Jane Foster an invitation from our base in African. She left about an hour after the… Tesseract began to activate- Darcy Lewis went with her as an assistant."

"Thank you for that."

Nick Fury turned to the picture of Natasha Romanoff, the red-haired woman reminding me almost of Halea. "This will be the first link in initiating the Avengers. We must work together Thor- for the betterment of this world… for your son," he said, looking at Coulson.

"I will fight with you," I said to him, extending my arm. Instead of shaking his hand, I gripped his forearm and looked into his eyes, "But no matter what, the Tesseract belongs to me and with my people. Understand?"

"We'll see."

* * *

I woke up alone in my children's quarters, inhaling deeply before looking around and getting off of the unpleasant bunk that was our accommodations. Sleeping with Halea very much in my lap and the twins on our chests was fairly awkward, but I hadn't cared much to the fact of my own discomfort when I was with my family- they were the only thing that mattered in these increasingly worrisome days.

Halea was talking to another woman when I made my way to the deck where all of Fury's men worked, turning with a quiet laugh.

Both of the women were dressed in leather bodysuits, seeming more than comfortable in each other's presence. I raised an eyebrow and Halea waved me over, "He is finally up- Thor, meet my new friend the 'Black Widow'. Natasha, this is my husband Thor."

"Nice to meet you god of thunder," the diminutive woman smiled, extending her hand to me.

"You got the news quickly," I noted, knowing that within only a few hours she had come to our call. Natasha nodded and looked out at the morning, "I knew that whatever was happening that I needed to be on this side of the action- a hero instead of a victim. Besides, whoever this Loki guy is took my friend and I want him back."

Halea and I exchanged a look before she smiled, reaching out to touch Natasha's arm. "We should probably get ready for the flight to where again?"

"India," the red-haired female smiled as she escorted my wife away. "It's a nice place to vacation and the food? To die for…"

I followed behind him, growing more and more curious of how easily Halea was adjusting to life back on Midgard. Compared to how troubled she was previously, it seemed as if she were truly having a good time and had not a care in the world.

"Thor."

We all turned to the sound of Fury's voice, the man coming towards me with Coulson at his side. "I hope you have been made aware of your mission Thor- you'll be paying a visit to Tony Stark with Agent Coulson while your wife and Agent Romanoff will retrieve Bruce Banner-"

"The large green man," I questioned, the two women looking at me. "Absolutely not. Not my wife, not the mother of my children."

"That is not your decision to make," Halea murmured, folding her arms across her chest. Our eyes met and her gaze was honest, colorless eyes searching my own. I knew that she was more than apt to fight her own battles, especially with men much bigger than herself- but I was wary still.

I crossed the room towards her and leaned down in her ear, "Were you not the one who said 'I will not have you playing vigilante, especially without me'? That you could not 'bear the thought of losing anymore than I already have'? I have seen the man named Banner in all of his green glory and-"

"I can handle it Odin-son," Halea hissed more venomously than I had ever heard, forcing me to pull back. Her eyes flashed blue and I stepped back before my wife smiled, standing up on the tip of her toes before she pressed her lips to mine. "You should not worry so much."

Halea continued on after Natasha, the two women approaching a long line of aircrafts. I stared after her before thinking of the children that reminded me of her so, going to her side. "Halea, where are our children," I asked demandingly, my wife smiling almost offhandedly. "The woman Agent Hill has been tasked to look after them and she seems more than capable but we should still probably try to return to them as soon we can," she replied, more occupied with the next quest rather than our family. I took her hands within my own, holding her more tightly than was probably necessary before pressing my lips to her flesh. "Then I will await your return."

She set her jaw as I kissed her cheek and sent her off, going with Coulson to a massive city known as New York.

"I'm going to tell you now that Tony isn't… a people person. He likes to prod people into fights and well, we're going to have to be smooth with him. We sort of need him on the project-"

"Son of Coul, do you think me rash," I questioned offhandedly, raising Mjolnir. I saw his eyes flash down to the hammer and he swallowed before forcing a smile, shaking his head, "Of course not."

I watched as he attempted to reach Stark through a small handheld device, our aircraft landing and the two of us approaching a massive, brightly lit building that was reminiscent of an Asgardian tower. We took a metal portal up to what I learned was Stark's home, the man and his woman standing up from the couch. "Hello Tony, Pepper," the agent said as the couple sighed and moved to greet us. "Phil," the blonde smiled, holding a flute glass as she walked over to us. "Who's your friend?"

"My name is Thor, my good lady-"

"God of thunder," Stark said, walking towards me as well. "I'm surprised they let you back on Earth after you assisted in the demolition of a small town. Coulson, my consulting hours are every other Wednesday between three and four p.m."

Coulson smirked and held out a folder to him, "I'm not here for your consultation. I'm here because your country- no, your world needs you. There is a situation compromising the security of the planet and Fury, in response to the attack, is gathering up people of a particular caliber-"

"He's reactivated the 'Avengers Initiative'? That's so cool… not that I would know about that or anything," the woman named Pepper said rather guiltily. Coulson laughed as Tony began to protest, the situation seeming rather strained. My hands itched as my anxiety started to mount in the absence of my wife and children, Mjolnir feeling heavy in my grasp. "Just review Dr. Selvig's research on the Tesseract. You have one of the greatest minds-"

"My son touched the Tesseract," I said suddenly, looking at Stark and Pepper. "And his life is tethered to its… power. He is only a boy of four, his life has yet to be lived and it will be cut short if we do not find the Tesseract. So please- even as a king, I do not find it humiliating to beg in the stead of my child, my heir. Help me, aid my son and save your world."

Stark looked at me and sighed, taking the folder from Coulson before crossing the room. He did what Fury had, throwing images up onto several different screens and stepping back to stare at them. "Jesus- I've never seen the goddess of war in high def. Hot damn…"

"Are you insulting my woman," I questioned, Tony turning to me.

"Oh, on the contrary," he replied before Pepper began to scold him, the woman then smiling at me. "I know he's a little brash, but he's a good person. Don't let him get to you."

I watched him as Tony stared at the moving visage of Halea, narrowing my eyes.

"That may be easier said than done."


	6. Losing You

We returned to the Hive, Coulson and I making small talk to pass the time. Once onboard, I spotted Halea and Natasha with two men, my wife's hand on the taller man's lower back.

"Halea," I called, seeing her turn on her heels. She smiled before kissing each man's cheek, moving to my side. My eyes were affixed to the way her hips swung back and forth with every step, feeling heat rise in my throat. "I missed you dear husband; did all go well," my wife asked, reaching up to run her fingers through my hair. Still remembering the hostilities she had afforded me earlier, I shrugged her off, Halea seeming hurt. "I do not understand you or your enmity and this sudden affection you are showing me now."

"Thor, what is this that you speak of?"

I grabbed her face within my hands and kissed her harshly, allowing one of my hands to tangle in her curls. I then pulled away, seeing the manner in which her breasts rose and fell, demanding her allegiance, "You are my wife."

"Yes I am," Halea replied, still breathing hard as I freed my hand and moved into the aircraft.

My children ran to me and I bent down to greet them, kissing Cierian's head before patting Theia's curls. "How are you feeling today son," I questioned, seeing the pale look of him. He seemed so healthy even despite the illness growing within him, my son smiling and throwing his arms around my neck before kissing my cheek. I lifted them both into my arms, going to our quarters for some quiet. They both curled into my side, settling down quickly as I sang to them the songs of our world. "Papa, when are we going home," Cierian asked quietly, looking up at me from his place against my chest. "Soon sweetheart, I promise," I replied, stroking his cheek lightly. He was still cool to the touch, but there was a life there inside of his weary body that was still strong and hardy- my son was so like his mother, who was like steel even in the darkest of hours and the worst of situations. His colorless eyes met mine and I knew that despite his years, he knew all too well of what awaited him without the recovery of the Tesseract. "I am going to sleep forever papa," Cierian whispered, returning his head once more to my chest. I felt burning tears in my eyes and took in a long breath before finding my voice, "Why would you say that Cierian?"

"I have seen the depths of the Tesseract and its power papa… ama looks at me and she is sad because she knows that I am going to Valhalla soon without her."

"Child, you mustn't say such things or even think them," I said quietly, my hand upon his head.

I heard him sigh and closed my own eyes, falling into a troubled sleep.

* * *

"Darling, wake up."

Halea was standing over me when I opened my eyes, her hand upon my cheek. A shiver went through me as I felt how cool her flesh was, hardened while retaining some of the softness that had once defined her. "I would have thought you were sleeping," I said, shifting the twins so that they were more comfortable in my absence. I sat up on the edge of the bunk and rubbed my face, my wife sighing as she rubbed her arms. "I could not sleep, not when this… hunger was threatening to consume me," Halea murmured, pulling me to my feet. I could not respond with my whole heart when she kissed me, my wife releasing me after a moment to search my eyes.

"Is something wrong Thor?"

"Yes," I admitted to her, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You are not… right; I know you as well as I know myself and I sense this growing sadness- not, it is not a sadness, it is a darkness- inside of you. One moment you are the sweet woman that I married, and the next I feel as if I don't even know the person standing before me!"

Seeing her hurt expression, I placed my hands on her and pulled her close, Halea seeming as lost as I was in the situation. "I love you and if there is something wrong, you can tell me. You know that you can tell me anything," I said, cupping her cheek in my hand.

"I am losing you, Thor! I am losing our child- I am losing everything I love!"

I locked my mouth over hers before hoisting her onto my waist, groaning as I sought to push her through the door to our own quarters. I reached behind me to put on the lock and proceeded to take Halea to the hardened bunk we slept on, my wife working on peeling off the tight shirt that she wore. She hummed as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, leaving a hot trail of open mouthed kisses there. "Now Thor, please," she said, pulling at her pants before allowing me to rip them off of her body. I was mesmerized and pleased that the measure of Halea's life beneath her skin was still there- still fighting, still strong. She breathed hard before regarding me with wounded half-closed eyes, stilling me in my movements. Her eyes were truer than I had ever seen her- I had believed that I had seen the depths of her many times, but now, I was not so sure: her eyes spoke of a thousand breaks, both emotional and physical, more breaks than I had ever been there to witness. I was afraid of the day that Halea could not take anymore, the day that she was thrown down and stayed down, knowing that in these dark times that the day- that moment- might be closer than I thought.

She reached out and pulled me to her, her breath hitching with the sound seeming impossibly loud in the silence that had overcome us. I positioned myself between her thighs, feeling her fingers press into my back and knowing that making love to her like this felt… wrong, somehow.

I pulled Halea's long legs around my waist and pushed inside of her with aching slowness, hearing the sound of my leather push up against her, brushing and abrasing gentle flesh. I watched her face as I moved within her, setting a sad, yearning pace even as her hips came up to meet my own, seeming eager. Her body flexed in time with my own in a way that was almost mechanical- I wonder if she even felt anything and pushed harder, seeing how numb she was letting herself become. I found myself on the verge of giving up, of breaking down and begging her just to be with me when her arms came around me, Halea staring up into my eyes.

"You feel as if you are losing me," I said quietly, feeling my heart clench up. "But I am losing you."

"Thor."

Halea arched up to kiss me and pressed her forehead against my own, her hands on my shoulders. "You said that I was strength, that I had to be strong for Cierian and for Theia… and for you, because there was no possible way you could do what you needed to without me. But look at me, Thor- honestly look at me and say those words again with all the truth in your heart," she said, stroking my cheek tentatively. When I did not speak she nodded and inhaled deeply, "Then you feel it too, my withering resolve-"

"No," I said harshly, pulling away from her and redoing my pants. "I will not let this family fall apart around me."

"You have no control over this- Loki does."

I turned to face her and with as much wrath as I could muster, responded in turn, "Do not say his name Halea! Our brother has done us both a great wrong and for what, vengeance? He is angered greatly at us both for what happened that day on the Bridge and he is taking it out on our son."

"Thor, he fell long before the children were born! This has nothing to do with Cierian and everything to do with-"

"With what," I bellowed, my wife's eyes falling downcast.

I may have saw her lip quiver before she pulled the sheets up around her, Halea inhaling deeply once more, "With you… and more importantly, with me."


	7. Matters and Memories

I blinked hazily as I attempted to pull myself up from sleep, the bed feeling strangely cold. I rolled over and saw that Halea was still beside me, her back to me- it was not a positive sign that things would be well with us sooner or later. The long lines of her back slid and shifted with every breath, her exhales quick and light. I was wide awake and as irritated as I was with all of the emotions flooding back from last night, I loathed moving. When she was asleep Halea was just as she had always been and I saw no reason to deprive myself of the small pleasure of being with her, my body pressed against hers. She slept soundly at least and I took the opportunity to run my hand down the smooth flesh of her arm- she was cool, much cooler than normal.

"Mmhmm," Halea groaned, stirring.

Knowing that the stolen moment was lost, I sighed and sat up without saying a word to her, going into the bathroom to take a shower. When I emerged later she was sitting in the floor, staring absentmindedly at the wall before her. I moved around her, dressing in sullen silence and brushing my hair out.

"Thor," she said, my eyes cutting to her. "Are you okay? Is something the matter?"

"Nothing that was not already wrong yesterday."

Halea blinked at me and stood, coming to reach out to me. I moved away however and tucked my hair behind my ear, "I would like it if you did not touch me. And if you would refrain from sharing a bed with me when you cannot even share your thoughts and feelings-"

"This is about last night? Seriously," my wife questioned, her tone biting. "I- I am trying my best Thor and it is never enough for you! Everything is crumbling around me and it is on my shoulders to try and carry this entire family, yet I find myself frayed and I am tired! Instead of picking out my faults, how about you help me change them for once?"

"Why do you believe that everything revolves around you, wife? I have many concerns that do not include you," I snapped, trying to hurt her- I could see from Halea's face that I was succeeding. I pulled away once more as she took another step in my direction, "Was I unclear?"

She stopped in her step and stared at me, her eyes searching mine. It was as if she did not know that she had hurt me but it did not matter- I would not tell her.

"If you want to hurt me, fine. Bring your hammer."

I raised an eyebrow but obeyed, summoning Mjolnir to my hand as we walked through the halls of the ship. Halea stopped to talk to one of the soldiers before stepping into a side room, my wife turning to look at me. I regarded her warily, seeing her hands lash out as she pushed me back. I stumbled a step and then looked up, annoyed, "Stop it."

"I thought this is what you wanted," Halea said, pushing me once more.

"I will break you," I growled fiercely, my hand tightening on my hammer. "In half if I must."

She barreled into me full force, both of us crashing to the ground. Halea straddled me and pulled her fist back to punch me, her face twisted up in a sneer. I knew her well though and managed to catch her hand before it could make contact with my face, and twisted her wrist around maneuvering myself so that I was on top of her. "Calm down, woman," I demanded, seeing her face darken. Halea head butted me and I winced, but it was enough for me to hit the ground before I rolled onto my feet, panting angrily. She got to her feet swell, throwing a powerful roundhouse kick in the direction of my chest that would have knocked the very breath from my lungs had I not stepped to the side the fraction of a hair. I swung at Halea with my left hand, the blow grazing her jaw- she hardly flinched, feinting an equally painful left punch, but then quickly coming in with a right hook. It landed on my cheek, but I merely laughed, Halea aiming a kick at my knees that hurt more than I would have thought.

She paused for a heart's beat before flinging herself at me in the same moment that I lunged, the two of us clashing together in a flurry of fists, and twists and turns.

I was too engrossed in the intricacies of our fighting to realize that people were staring through the glass of the training room, hearing them all reacting to how were going at each other. I knew how we looked: the blows and feints, kicks and undercuts, punches and head locks looking dangerous, terrifying… almost like a choreographed dance, our grunts and panting mixed in with it all. I heard someone say, "Someone needs to break it up, quick. Before they kill each other."

"Do you wanna go in there?"

"Fury's on his way-"

I reacted and faltered in getting my wife into a one-armed headlock, Halea taking advantage of my mistake. She took me down with a leg sweet before hooking her arm with mine, letting gravity and my greater body mass work for her. I hit the ground and felt my breath rush from my lungs, Halea giving me a grim smile of satisfaction. She wrapped her legs around my chest and her arms around my neck, choking off my air supply. "I will sit here and watch you until you are unconscious before I let go," Halea threatened, whispering in my ear. I gasped out and she let go, standing as she looked at me. I got to my feet, tasting blood on my lips and running my fingers there, my wife watching me.

"Get out of my sight," I spat, my wife setting her jaw and bowing mockingly.

"As you wish, sire."

She pushed her way through the crowd in the door and I stared after her before going to seek my solitude away from their judging stares. I journeyed deep into the underbelly of the ship and perched myself on a steel tube, feeling as out of control as I had when Odin- Father cast me out of Asgard.

Last night we had nearly reclaimed our glory but I had been unable to find peace, closing my eyes as my eyebrows knitted together. I remembered our conversation in detail and inhaled deeply- she had begged me to make love to her, clung to my body as if I were a lifeline. I knew that she had wanted me when her body wore the scent of arousal like an exotic perfume. I had been intoxicated by her, as I always was, and the thoughts of anger and passion made me ache to have her. There had been many opportunities to take her when we had fought, pinning her against the floor and allowing my lips to hover over hers. Pressing her down with my hips as she struggled to pull away, panting and heated- my loins stirred with the memory of the many times in which we had fought and promptly made amends, the argument in which she had attempted to return her ring during our betrothal one of fondness.

However, in the scheme of things, making love and indulging in my own selfish wants- things of the least importance- were increasingly occupying more and more of my thoughts. I could not think straight when Halea kept defying my reason and logic of her. My brain was fevered by it, my pride wounded…

Pressing my lips together in a thin line, I closed my eyes and attempted to think of something else.

* * *

The twins sat in front of me upon Sleipnir as we rode through the streets of Asgard, Halea riding Freyja at my side. I smiled at my children's laughter, Cierian and Theia greeting all who looked upon them. The people of the kingdom were more than fond of their king's children- I did not fear any who care came near giving praise and bearing gifts.

If they were safe anywhere, it was among my people.

My children, wife and I ventured the market, a woman giving Theia a doll without purchase even as I attempted to give her the due payment. "No your Highness- our debt is to you and to the queen, a debt we as a nation could never repay in full. Please, for the child," she said, smiling when I conceded. I watched as Cierian looked at a sweet cart, folding my arms and raising an heavy eyebrow. "My son, I distinctly remember your mother telling you no more sticky buns. Am I mistaken," I questioned lightly, smiling as I saw a willowy figure walking behind him. Cierian only made a face before freezing at the sound of his godmother's voice, "No, I do not believe you are, Thor-King."

Sif strode forward from where she had been looking at some arrows, her lovely face almost stern- not in almost four years had she mastered being completely firm with my children… but then again, neither had anyone else. Cierian looked ashamed before Sif cupped his cheek, looking at her almost timidly. "But if it is alright with your mother, you may have your sweets this time… Only the gods know how difficult it is to deny you," Sif said, paying the vendor for the food. I smiled at her, Halea shaking her head, "You are the worst!"

"Blame Thor for making me their godmother, because I cannot help but spoil our children."

We talked for a long time before they asked to leave with Sif, my oldest friend smiling almost as widely as they did. Halea looked at me and sighed, knowing that I could deny them no more than she could. "Yes! I will have them back before bedtime-"

"Sif, can we go hunting with you," Cierian asked, his excitement growing with the passing moments.

Halea looked at the children and pursed her lips, "I am telling you once Theia and Cierian, you are going to be good for Sif. And if I hear one word of your disobedience, I'll have your father whip you!"

I saw Cierian and Theia exchange a look, knowing that no matter how badly they acted, that I would never whip them. I still nodded in agreement with Halea before bending down to hug them, giving them each a kiss to their foreheads. I then released them, standing as I waved to their retreating forms hand-in-hand with Sif's.

"So now we have free time? How rare," Halea said, reaching for my hand and kissing it. Despite knowing how she hated public displays of affections, I moved to kiss her fully on the mouth, smiling when she hit me lightly in the chest. "My Odin-son, I think I have an idea how to pass the time…"


	8. Time Is Running Out

"She is in here," I questioned, looking at Agent Hill. She gave me a jerky nod of her head and I sighed, pulling open the door.

Halea was sitting against the wall, legs drawn up to her chest and knees tucked underneath her chin. I walked over to where she sat, kneeling down in front of her. "Sweetheart," I murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was shaking slightly and I touched her shoulder, squeezing gently.

"I feel it all slipping away. My child, my control… my mind," my wife whispered, looking up at me. Her fear was palpable and I took her hand in mine, bringing it to my lips. "Halea, I no longer know what to do. I am not sure anymore and I need you to tell me what to do, what you need."

"I need you to make the pain stop."

She reached up and wrapped one arm around my neck, a warmth settling in the pit of my stomach and in my cheeks. "I need to feel something more than this hollow pain. Help me forget, distract me, heal me! No- show me a different kind of pain," Halea said, raising up and kissing me. I pulled her to her feet, pulling her shirt over her head and sinking my teeth into her bare shoulder. She exhaled, her hands slipping underneath my vest to grip at my hips, "I want you." I struggled to stay in the moment, to immerse myself in our passion- to immerse myself in her. My eyes fixed themselves upon her and I could see my face reflected in her gaze, full of pain, full of passion, full of want, love and hate. I pushed her against the wall, kissing her feverishly as her hands slipped between our bodies, fumbling once or twice as she pulled at the laces holding up my pants and releasing me from the confines. I was hard, impatient and insistent, smashing her back against the cool metal at least twice. Halea must have been hurting more than she was letting on, for her eyes were glazed over, unfocused, fiery and primal. She was obsessed with my body, tearing my shirt over my head before raking her nails down my chest. She uttered a curse as I hoisted her up onto my waist, pushing into her with a single, rough stroke. I knew that her physical pain was both quick and swift from entering her- I did not have the patience to let her adjust, relentless in the taking of her. I looked down at where our bodies met, feeling the rhythm of our love making take up the tempo of her pulsing, undulating body. Halea was just as relentless as I was, meeting every thrust of mine with a snapping of her hips.

"Ah," I said, feeling her nails dug into my back before she dragged them down the length of my spine. The claw marks burned in a way that was ridiculously, deliriously good and Halea scored my back over and over again, crying out for more.

I propped my hands on either side of her head, supporting all of her weight as I pushed her up and down the metal. She raised her hand and wiped some of the sweat off of my face, wearing a soft smile. I gripped the hair at the very back of her skull, pulling so hard I thought I might rip it completely out. Halea pressed her hand to my chest, trying to push me away in a manner in which I knew she was close, continuing to help her. She shouted unintelligibly, holding on to me tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on her bottom lip. I refused to follow after her, stroking deeper, harder, feeling as if I was running towards the edge of madness. Halea tensed up once again and I helped her through another completion before ceasing in my ministrations, shaking my head. "I cannot continue to do this," I whispered with shaky breath, tears starting to course down her cheeks. She stroked my face, wrapping an arm around my neck to bring me nearer, "I am sorry. I am so sorry…"

We stayed like that for a few moments longer before I let her down, both of us taking the time to get ourselves together and dressed. I reached out and tied the laces on her shirt, my wife placing her hands over mine. "I am not all here, I think," Halea said, bringing my hands up to her face and pressing them against her cheek. "But I am trying to come back to you."

I nodded and kissed her forehead, "As long as you try."

"I wish to see the children. Will you accompany me?"

I hesitated before taking her hand and going to where I knew the twins were with Natasha and Agent Coulson, the two seeming comforted at the sight of us. "Ama," Cierian said, going to wrap his arms around her legs. She knelt down to take him in her arms, curious tears rolling down her cheeks, "Oh, my love. My sweet boy." We both sat down on the ground and relieved the ones helping us look after our children, Theia coming over to me with a stuffed animal clutched in her grasp. She sat down in my lap and I wrapped my arms around her, watching as Halea and Cierian played with a small toy. He laughed and I smiled widely- I had never thought it was possible to love something so intangible as a sound. My son's laughter is like nothing I have ever heard before, starting as a soft giggle that builds into an all out belly laugh, a mixture of mine and his mother's. I wanted to capture the moment and carry it with me to show all in need of hope or reason that it is what we were fighting for- little everyday moments like this one pulled at the heart and made me feel. And I felt now, knowing that I could die that very moment and be rest assured that I experienced all that there is to experience in life: love.

Halea met my eyes, her expression one of growing sadness as the room became incredibly somber. Fierce longing to speak to her filled me, but all I did was embrace my daughter, pressing my cheek to hers. "I love you my dear. Papa must have you know it, Theia," I murmured, my daughter turning to kiss me.

"I feel as if we have been confined too long indoors," Halea said as she looked at me. "I miss the sun."

"We will see the sun again."

Halea moved to tickle Cierian before snuggling up to him, sighing, "Your papa, ever the optimist my son. He sees the good in all, even in me and it is why I love him." We sat with them for the rest of the day, being parents for once in all of this insanity before getting them to bed and preparing to do the same.

She sank down beside me, rolling towards my back and wrapping her arms around me. Halea sighed and I placed my hand over hers, "Do you care to share what has troubled you so?" I meant the invite in two ways, allowing her to either speak or let down her guards and allow me entrance. "Its just… Thor, our family means more to me than anything and I must know that if anything were to happen- anything at all- that you would put them first. If it was my life versus Theia's or Cierian's, you must do all that you can for our babies. Living without them is not an option for me," she murmured, rubbing her feet against the back of my calves lightly.

"I understand," I murmured, staring at the wall. "And I would want you to do the same."

I felt her chuckle quietly, my wife moving to prop her head up on my arm. "As well, I want you to make me a promise. You know how I am- what I am and what I am trying to stop myself from becoming. Our struggle to save him is making me a shell of the person I once was and sometimes… my anger and resentment overwhelm me. It takes me to a place I have sought to banish from my mind and I am forced to confront my own sanity. I find it hard to reconcile the different parts of myself and even now, I struggle. Trying to find a balance-" Her voice faltered and I rolled over slowly to face her, stroking her hair back. "It makes me sad to think that you suffer in silence," I admitted, bringing her hand up and kissing her fingers. My wife smiled and leaned forward to kiss me, "Do not be sad Thor. Because I am here, for now… but if the time were to come in which I were not myself-"

"Do not even say it," I said suddenly, seeing her eyes hardened. "Do not even ask me."

"Thor, look at me. I am at war with myself and all of these outside threats only serve to make things worse. I am the goddess of war- you know what I am capable of as much as you recognize how hard I fight it. It has taken me a millennia to reconcile the different sides of myself- the monster and the child and the woman- a millennia to become Halea, a single being made up of emotions and memories and dreams and experiences. I have accepted it and you must as well. For me Thor, you must do what no one else can. For our children."

I stroked her hair back and we shifted closer, bodies pressed together as if physical proximity can convey the intensity of it all. I held her impossibly tight, our legs and arms tangled together.

"You are asking me to kill you," I whispered against her skin, allowing my fingers to run down her side.

She nodded and I closed my eyes, feeling them burn with unshed tears, "You are all there is for me. The very center of my universe… Beautiful, wise, patient, strong yet overwhelming gentle and sweet. You had faith in me once when I lacked faith in myself and you made me prove myself worthy of your love. Our journey has been full of both joy and sorrow- but the sorrow only made the joy that much joyful. You are that which I have coveted and hold most dear.

"And you ask for your death at my hands?"

"Only you," Halea confirmed before pressing her lips to mine, her hand fisting in the hair at the nape of my neck. "I trust only you."

Even despite her terrifying words, it seemed as if my wife was much lighter now- almost… at peace after she had spoken. Her face and body seemed healthier than it had previously, her warmth radiating throughout my body. I was glad to see her improvement and felt as if I would never tire of watching her, or touching him. I took pleasure in simply hearing her breathe and kissed her again, moving my hand down to cup her behind in full.

And then she pulled away, her eyes open and honest, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" I felt my lips lift slightly at the corners, moving to rest on top of her as I teased.

"Do you truly find me beautiful Halea?"

Her smile was all the truth I needed, but her words were confirmation, her hand resting on my cheek.

"Inside and out- your home, and your spirit, both. I find you faithfully exquisite my love and you must never let darkness corrupt your soul. Promise me that," my wife said, my lips searching out hers.

"I promise you."

* * *

Halea was gone by the time I awoke and I felt an inexplicable rush of fear, going to go check on my children. They too were nowhere to be found and I pulled on a vest, going to find them. I stopped one of Fury's men and looked at him seriously, "Where have my wife and children been taken?"

"Sir, your son had an attack this morning-"

Agent Hill had my daughter on her hip as I rushed through the halls of the Hive, Theia crying out for me when I came around the corner. I took her into my arms and hugged her tightly, pressing my face to her curls. "What happened," I asked without moving, hearing the woman swallow before she spoke.

"Whatever your son has been infected with is getting worse," she replied, holding her arms out for my child. I relinquished my hold on her, tears coming to Theia's eyes as I cupped her face in my hands. "Its alright sweetheart- papa is just going in here to check on your brother; I will come back to you. I promise."

"Hurry papa," she said, laying her head on Agent Hill's shoulder.

I went into the room where Cierian was, my wife's fist pressed to her mouth. He was on a table, veins dark and prominent underneath his nearly-translucent skin. "He was just playing, and then- he just collapsed Thor, right in my arms! I cannot take this anymore," Halea said, turning to face me. I looked at one of the healers in a white coat, inhaling deeply, "How much more time does he have?"

"Not much."

"Then it is time to go to Loki," I replied, leaving the room and kissing Theia's forehead. I went to my quarters, my plans reaching Nick by the time I had dressed fully and gotten Mjolnir. He blocked my way as I attempted to leave and I sighed, my hand tightening on my hammer. "Move- before I make you move."

Nick looked down at Mjolnir before shaking his head, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, friend. I don't think you're thinking straight and what you're about to do is not an option for us."

"Maybe not, but it's the only option my son has now."

"The only option you have right now is to sit down and clear your head. There is nothing you can do that my men are already doing, except make complications we aren't prepared to handle. Loki is more powerful than you now that he has the Cube- how do you expect to go up against that, huh? You don't," Nick replied, staring at me honestly. I knew that his words were right, but I couldn't just sit around and do absolutely nothing while my son was dying before my very eyes.

I heard the running of feet down the hallway and then Steve was there, Natasha standing behind him.

"They've found him."


	9. Capture

We all moved out to the meeting table, Halea reaching us the same time we had taken our seats there. I looked to her briefly, my wife meeting my gaze with a flicker of her eyes, "She's in capable hands. They both are."

"Loki has been spotted near Stuttgart, Germany-"

"How," Halea asked quietly, Nick appraising her. "Why? Loki did not want to be found, and now for him to be simply spotted seems odd. This is more than what it seems- there is more to the god of mischief than meets the eye."

I had to agree with her, sighing heavily before looking at Nick. "You should let me try and talk to him first-"

"You've already tried to talk to him. It didn't work," Agent Coulson said quietly from his place against the wall. I shot him a glare and shook my head, "This time I will force him to listen."

"He will not listen to you, husband. And you already know that."

Halea was playing with the gem on her necklace, staring into its depths absentmindedly. We decided on a plan of attack with Steve going in first with me following as Natasha covered us from the air. Everyone dispersed to prepare, my wife disappearing as Nick asked me to talk privately. We walked down to the open area on the underside of the aircraft, the director sighing as he looked at me. "Your wife has been acting strangely, like she's waiting for the inevitable to happen with Loki. Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Nothing that you don't already know," I replied darkly, my hands wrapping around the rail before me.

"Look, we're a team and I need everyone on this team to be on their game, Thor-"

I cut him off as I turned and began to walk away, "The heir to our kingdom, our child is dying and there is nothing she can physically do to stop it or slow it down. She is being forced to watch her only son waste away and it is to be expected that she will be sad or unsure of things right now but if there is anyone I know, it is my wife. And Halea is fine."

The world seemed silent as I got in the smaller aircraft with the rest of the people tasked to stop Loki, my grip tight on Mjolnir and my thoughts a thousand miles away. All I wanted to do was reason with my brother, to take him back to Asgard where he belonged and to heal my child. I wanted us to be a family again, whole and complete.

"We're here," Natasha called back, Halea standing and looking out of the front of the plane.

The back of the aircraft opened and Steve jumped out, clad in a suit of stripes and stars. I followed after him, seeing my brother towering over a group of kneeling mortals as Steve spoke. "You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"Ah look, the soldier- a man out of time," Loki smiled, wielding his staff.

"No Loki, you are the one who is out of time."

My brother turned to face me and smiled pleasantly, as if we were seeing each other after a long time apart in which nothing but the mundane had occurred. "Thor, how nice to see you. I will be with you in a moment brother," Loki said before lifting his spear and channeling the power of the Tesseract at Steve. It knocked him down even as he deflected the blast with his shield, Loki turning on me. I rushed towards him, overtaking him easily and hitting him with Mjolnir. He stumbled back without flinching before Steve tackled him, Loki allowing the blows to roll off of him like oil to water.

We fought, Steve being more of a nuisance than he was being an effective assistance, Loki and I doing our best to keep him out of our battle. And then Loki was turning on him, prepared to consume his mind with the Tesseract staff before Natasha began to shoot at him with one of the much bigger weapons on the aircraft. He took the time to strike me in the jaw before bringing the craft down with a blast from the staff, smiling as I shouted for Halea. "What a pity- I apologize for that," Loki said before another joined us, a man in a suit of red and gold landing in the circle. His helmet slid back inside of the rest of his armor to reveal the face of Tony Stark, the man smiling at Loki.

"I think its time you had a timeout."

Wherever Loki had been in his time away from Asgard had turned him into a madman- I knew that much from the smirk on his face and the crazed look in his eyes. Halea had been right about my attempts to talk to my brother and their failures; they would never have worked with the way he was.

And the only thing that could stop him now was…

"Loki."

Halea strode towards us from the wreckage of the aircraft, looking every part the goddess of war that she was meant to be. I was surprised when Loki lowered his spear and shocked when he actually let it fall from his fingers, his eyes fixed on my wife. "Ah my dear Halea, you are more lovely than I last remember. It was your face that I saw in every moment of my oblivion-"

"You will not speak to her," I said angrily, going to him as he was chained and prepared for our return to the Hive.

"And you will hold your tongue Thor-Odinson!"

Fed up with the constant back and forth, I walked over to Loki and grabbed him by the front of his clothes, swinging my hammer around before taking to the air. I flew through the air behind Mjolnir until I found a suitable place for us to talk, landing near a ravine and throwing Loki down against a large boulder.

"Where is the Tesseract," I asked harshly, panting angrily. My brother only laughed and ran his fingers back through his hair, "I missed you too brother."

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?"

Loki stood and walked to the edge of the small cliff we were one, shrugging. "Either way, you should thank me. I brought you here once more to your precious Earth," he replied, looking out over the darkness. I stared at his back, finding myself gripped by intense pain, "I thought you dead." My brother stood for a moment before turning to me, curious, "Did you mourn?"

"Did I- did I mourn? No Loki, I lost myself in grief and darkness! Halea as well was tormented by the very thought of you, and our father?"

"Your father," Loki corrected, his eyes taking on a steely appearance. "Brother, we were raised together, we played together, we fought together! Do you remember none of that," I questioned, my brother crossing the space between us with anger alive in his eyes. "I remember a shadow, living in the shade of your greatness! I remember you tossing me into an abyss, I who was and should be king! You took from me the only thing I loved, took it for your own and left me with nothing!" I pushed his shoulder, attempting to make him back down, "And so you would take the world I promised to protect as recompense for your imagined slights? You would allow my son, your nephew, to suffer?"

Loki only laughed and I hit him, knocking him to the ground. His eyes hardened even further, my brother's rage seeming to waver in the air between us as he spat at me. "Your son was harmed in your own home Thor, under your watch. As for the humans, they slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them and why should I not?"

"You think yourself above them," I questioned, confused.

"Well… yes."

I shook my head and chuckled humorlessly, knowing that Loki truly believed his own words. "Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother- the throne would suit you ill," I replied, Loki instantly defensive as he took to his feet once more. "I have seen you've never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile! I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power," I demanded, looking into his fevered gaze. "Who controls the would-be-king?"

"I am a king!"

With Mjolnir in my hand, I stood over Loki, angered by his still childish ways, "You are not a king here! You give up this poisonous dream and you come home Loki! Just give me the Tesseract and come home to us-" Loki laughed again and I searched his face, trying to find the reason for his amusement. "I am sorry for my mirth, but I just think it rather riotous… I don't have the Tesseract, Thor. And I know you need it if you have any hope of taking me home, but I have sent it off I know not where," he said, a smirk on his face. My heart sank at the thought of the Tesseract being who knows where and being unable to help Cierian, "You listen well brother-"

I felt the wind being knocked out of me as I was tackled through the air, finding myself in the ravine below where Loki and I had been talking.

I got to my feet and looked at Stark, panting angrily, "Do not touch me again!"

"Then don't touch my stuff Thor. Loki is now a war criminal- he belongs to SHIELD," Tony replied, looking at me. "Loki will face Asgardian justice!" He only chuckled and turned away from me, "He gives up the Cube and he's all yours. Until then, stay out of my way."

I hit him with Mjolnir, knocking him through the trees and smiling triumphantly.

"If you think that's going to stop me, think again."

"You do not want to fight me Stark-"

I was cut off when he blasted me in the face, sending me soaring into a rather large tree. It broke and fell, bringing down those around it. Enraged, I held Mjolnir up to the skies, conjuring up massive storm and channeling all of the electricity through my hammer. The power knocked Stark on his back, his entire suit looking supercharged as I realized that maybe hitting him had not been a good idea. He stood up slowly, raising his hand to me, "Thor…" I wielded Mjolnir more furiously than I ever had, the more electrical-than-mechanical suit powering itself intensely so that our most powerful blows knocked us both off of our feet.

"Hey," Steve shouted, throwing his shield between us. "That's enough!"

I stood, my hand tightening on Mjolnir as I swiped at the blood dripping from my nose. "Thor, put the hammer down," Steve said, walking towards me. I smirked and looked at my hammer, having no intention of doing as he had demanded of me, "You want me to put the hammer down? Very poor choice of words." I ran and leaped at him, Steve ducking as he raised his shield. Whatever material it was made of created a massive shockwave as I brought Mjolnir down upon it, the force putting me flat on my back and knocking Tony off of his feet.

"Are we done now," Steve asked, moving to stand over me.

"Yes, we are done."


	10. Bound By Lies

Halea was waiting aboard the Hive when we returned with Loki, SHIELD soldiers coming to take him from us. I walked to her side and she sighed, seemingly unable to keep her eyes off of Loki for more than a second. In turn, my brother smiled and disappeared inside, Halea turning to me. "You are bleeding, husband," she said, holding my face in her hands and dabbing at my wound.

"It is nothing. Come inside."

She followed me inside and I found Fury, taking him aside, "I would like counsel with my brother… please. My wife and I have unfinished business with him."

"Get in line," Fury said angrily, walking behind Loki and his detail. We followed them to a large circular room that was more like a prison cell, my brother being placed behind rather thick glass. Halea and I watched as he walked around his new quarters, an cold-sort of bemused look on his face. "I'm warning you now god of mischief, you scratch that glass, you try and escape- I'll hit this button here and drop you out of the sky."

"I hear you, loud and clear," Loki smirked, coming to stand where we were.

Fury called his men away and looked at me, "Have your counsel."

Once they were all gone, I took off my cloak and draped it over a chair, sighing. "Your war. It had to come to this Loki," I said, taking another chair and moving to sit in front of Loki. He only smiled and conjured up his own chair, looking over my shoulder at Halea. "It seems that I have come too far for anything else. Darling, why are you standing over there, away from me? Have you not missed me?"

"How could I do anything else," Halea questioned in kind quietly, moving to stand with her hands on my shoulders. He stared at her again and I turned to see my wife holding the green gem in her fingers, Loki regarding it highly. "Ah, you have kept it and you wear it again- and here I was thinking all this time that you had lost it… or had discarded my trifle gift-" Halea's eyes were inflamed, but somehow it only made Loki even more smug, "Because I would do that which would break your heart, something so evil and… I would never do anything to harm you Loki for It is beneath me, contrary to what you think!" I heard her words but they held much more meaning- meaning I did not understand- but whatever it was made Loki grow serious, his hands balling into fists on his thighs. "I did nothing to harm you Halea," he replied harshly as my wife moved forward to press her hand against the glass.

"You are harming my child!"

He raised up and moved to press his hand to the glass as well, "Cierian, in a sense, gave the Tesseract to his dear old uncle- why would I intentionally harm him? That sweet little boy who looks exactly like his… father, but with his mother's eyes. Such beautiful eyes that hold all the sweetness and innocence in the universe. Too bad he was cursed to have the blood of his father, cursed to become a damned brute-"

"And if you had been the one to have him," I questioned, angry at the fact that he was demeaning my skills as a parent and protector.

"He was meant to be mine! And he would not be in the situation that he is in now!"

Halea was enraged, hitting the glass, "You hold your silver tongue!"

"Or what," Loki asked, challenging her. My wife's nostrils flared and she stared at my brother with all the hatred I knew she could muster, her hand going to the dagger on her hip. "I will kill you."

"You would not," he replied knowingly- Halea had already said that she could not harm him as he had harmed her. And then Loki turned to me, smirking at me, sitting back in his chair, "From the expression on your face, I can tell you have no idea of what we are discussing here. It is, however, understandable- you were always the stupid one. Prettier, but stupid indeed."

My wife was silent, still playing with the gem on her necklace. She did not seem to be with us and I stood, looking towards the door. "You should leave us Halea," I suggested, her eyes raising up to meet my own. Her features morphed into a look of disturbed dismay before she shifted her gaze back to Loki, "I am not going anywhere."

"Oh, what is this? Am I sensing some marital discord here- or has our little mistress of chaos finally pulled herself from underneath your control?"

"I never controlled her," I said defensively, Halea neither agreeing or disagreeing with me. Loki scoffed and shook his head, waving his hand towards my wife. "You never controlled her? Thor, for years you went about, bedding women left and right, while this woman was left to follow after you. She spent years- centuries- attempting to deny her feelings for you, attempting to hate you. And for a time, she did: she hated you right along with me. But then you just had to pull her back in, sucked her back in to your self-centered world and tamed her! You have no idea who the woman you are married to truly is! Take one look in her eyes, brother- one single look- and tell me you know the truth of what Halea is," Loki snapped, an evil smirk on his face. Halea was watching us intently, her eyes searching my face as I stared back into her gaze, my jaw set. I wished to confront her, but knew that I could not do it here- not where Loki could scheme and plot and pull the two of us apart from each other with his lies. All she did was inhale and nod once in acknowledgement to my needs, returning her attention to my brother. "You knew me. You knew me better than Thor ever did- once, but not now. You pushed me away Loki, you forced me to watch as you fell from grandeur, burdened by the weight of your own glory! I made my mistakes and I learned from them when you did not. I changed-"

Loki stood, his face morphing into a mask of rage as he was consumed by darkness, "You will never change! Halea, daughter of Helreginn, queen of darkness, princess of death, goddess of war- courtesan of anarchy and mischief! You will always be the cloud that hangs over your dear husband's light and splendor! Was it not you yourself who mused that you were not good enough for him, being of lesser birth than he? Was it not you who asked us for salvation from all that was righteous?"

"Yes, it was I who wondered and begged and deliberated," Halea whispered, watching Loki as he panted from the anger building within him. "But it was also I who broke you- who stopped you from destroying yourself and Asgard."

"Even after all this time your will is still so very strong… And well, you accomplished the latter, but as I recall you saying, you watched as I fell from grace and did nothing to stop it."

I interrupted them, breaking their eye contact, "There was nothing she could have done to stop you, not when even I was powerless to save you. I told you to hold on to take my hand, to hold on to Father's spear- and you, you yourself Loki, let your fingers fall from mine!" My brother chuckled and returned to his seat, crossing his legs as he stared at me. "Hmmm, you are just aching to hit me, are you not brother? To beat me and force me to tell you where the Tesseract is so you can save your precious Earth from big bad Loki… Well Thor, like I told you, I do not have it. I gave it to my army so that I might conquer this meager world and look further to the others that the immense power and knowledge of the Tesseract has shown to me," he said, playing with a small ball he conjured from the air and particles around him.

"Loki, look at yourself- you are imprisoned! You have no army-"

"I have the Chitauri."

I could feel the shock overcome my face, Loki's sinister smile only growing. "Yes Thor, you grasp it now. I tricked you into coming after me while the man I took from this rather weak army of SHIELD's- the Barton fellow- went after the mineral we need to activate the Tesseract's power. I was the distraction! And now, you have wasted time sitting here and interrogating me while your friend Selvig is helping me mastermind the end of the world as you know it. And in the end, it will be every man for himself…"

Loki laughed then, a harsh, grating sound as I stood, turning away from him.

"Halea!"

She came to walk beside me, casting a glance over her shoulder as Loki called out after us, "Do not fear, we will be reunited all too soon."

Once the door was closed between us, I wrapped my hand around Halea's neck and slammed her into the nearest wall, my lips pulled taut. I raised Mjolnir, threatening her even in my silence. "I demand answers. Speak. Now," I said quietly, her lips parting in a soft exhale before she spoke. "Those things that Loki spoke of are long past. There is no sense in entertaining them when all he wishes to do is to cause us strife-"

"Halea," I snapped, my wife narrowing her eyes. She pushed my hand away and held up our wedding ring to me, spitting her words, "This- this ring, this promise is all that you should be concerned about! This and our children! What I did and who I was when we are young does not matter anymore-"

"Then this ring, our promise- our life together as built on a lie," I seethed, pulling off my wedding band and dropping it on the ground. "And it does not matter."

She was speechless as I went to the helm of Fury's ship, finding the rest of the team there and taking my place standing behind my chair. "We're busy sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us," Banner said, moving visages and videos around on the screen before us. Natasha was sitting in the chair next to me and sighing, "That's still not going to find them in time. We'll narrow the field, use spectrometers."

"Right. Nick, call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places," Banner agreed, Steve playing with a pen as he looked to me.

"Thor, what did Loki say?"

I folded my arms across my chest, glaring darkly at nothing in particular. "More than I cared to have known about. But he has an army called the Chitauri- not of Asgard or any realm known to my people. For children, they were like a myth or a fable meant to teach against evil. Loki means to lead them against Earth for they will win him this realm, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract," I murmured, reaching up to scratch my beard. Everyone looked immediately apprehensive of the daunting task ahead, Rogers shaking his head, "An army, from outer space."

"That means he's building a portal. Its why he took Selvig," Tony said, eating out of a little silver bag. Banner nodded in agreement and I sighed, the complexities of the whole situation weighing heavy on my heart. "What I don't get, is why Loki let us take him. There's no way he's leading an army from here-"

"Loki is a prisoner," I replied roughly, looking around the room. "He is your prisoner."

Fury stepped towards me, fixing his one eye upon the place where I stood, "If that's so, then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat who wants to be here?"

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him," Banner chuckled, shrugging as he turned his back on me. I slammed my hands down on the table before me, everyone's attention on me as I looked at Banner, "Take care how you speak! Loki may be beyond reason, but he is of Asgard and he is my brother!"

"Thor, he killed eighty people in the span of two days," Natasha said plainly, looking up at me.

I considered her words and conceded, swallowing. "He is adopted."

"Back to the Cube, then," Steve said, changing the topic- thankfully. "Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"

"That's what Barton was doing last night while we were at the gala. Loki would have had to heat the Tesseract to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier… or he would have to take the greatest mind in science. Selvig's figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect with iridium- the mineral that Clint Barton stole from the reactor in Germany-" Comprehension dawned on Banner's face and he shook his head, uttering a curse, "And he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

Stark smiled and threw his hands up in the air, rejoicing. "Finally, someone who speaks English!"

"Is that what just happened," Steve asked me, a shrug the only answer I had to give as Banner and Tony shook hands. "Its nice to finally meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster. Banner only smiled and shook his head, running a hand back through his own hair. "Thanks, I guess…"

"So what do we do now," I questioned, looking at the man in charge of this all.

Nick turned to me, one of his arms folded behind his back, "The question is, what are you prepared to do?"


	11. Darkness

I sat beside Cierian's unconcious form, seeing him hooked up to many different machines, a nurse maid standing in the corner. I stroked his curls, looking down at Theia as she pressed herself against my chest and held her brother's hand. Halea had been absent ever since our fight- but I could not concern myself with her and her lies, not when my children needed at least one parent who cared. "Papa, papa, bede for me, ask the gods to watch over me as I sleep in your embrace underneath the great Worlds Tree. My All-Father, cast your runes on me so protected from all harm I will be; Frigga sings a song for me and holds me in her arms, warm I will be," Theia sang, her brother's eyes flicker. Despite his condition, I knew that he could hear us and joined my daughter, reciting the lullaby I had sang to them many a time. "Giant winds blow so merrily for they rock my crib so gently. Ama ask for Valhalla to wait for me till I am old and asleep I will be. As I way for day to come, the worlds will sleep along with me…"

Standing, I bent over Cierian to press a kiss to his forehead, allowing Theia to do the same before leaving him to sleep.

"I want to stay with you papa," Theia said, clinging around my neck.

"Come sweetheart. We will go and count the stars," I replied, smoothing down her hair.

We went to stare out of the windows, finding Steve already there, his face showing that he was deep in thought. "Sorry. Have we disturbed you," I asked, my daughter looking at him shyly from underneath her lashes. "No, you're fine. I've heard tales of this little one and her brother running around the ship. Hello Theia- you're quite beautiful, just like your mother," he smiled, reaching out to tickle her playfully. "Say hello and thank you to Steve, darling," I said as she blushed and turned away from him.

"Everyone is sleeping- except you," I noted, stroking Theia's hair and pressing a kiss to her crown. Steve only shook his head and leaned against the railing before us, "I've been asleep for seventy years. I think I've had enough rest."

"I know how you feel, all too well."

Standing there in silence, I replayed the day's events in my head, rocking Theia and humming quietly to myself. "I don't know how you do it, being a father and trying to defend an entire world. Your son is sick and your wife is lost in her grief-"

"She is lost I am sure, but in what I have no idea," I corrected, my daughter whining sleepily.

"You already have so much on your shoulders- why are you doing this," Steve asked, looking at me evenly. I pondered his question before looking into Theia's face, swallowing, "Look at this child. In her face is innocence and beauty that only a child born of true love can have. In this world exists many children such as this one and I know that for every child, there is a father, a mother who would do anything to destroy which tries to harm them. But not every man or woman has the ability to defend their children from the things that this universe holds- and yet I do. It is my duty to protect these children, this innocence and so I sacrifice, for them."

Steve looked at Theia and sighed, tucking her curls behind her ear.

"We're here to help you Thor. All of us want the same- we know that your little boy is dying and we're doing everything we can to stop it," he said, his words a comfort to me. I nodded and kissed my daughter's head again, shifting her in my arms.

"I should get her to bed. Goodnight, friend."

I left him to return to the twins' quarters, letting Theia down so that I could get her ready for bed. All I had ever wanted was for her to have as normal of a childhood as was possible for her, without all the regalities that I had been pushed into as a boy. I helped my daughter change into her nightgown before assisting her in brushing her teeth, my daughter meticulous. "Come papa, come. Come," Theia said, jumping on her bunk and holding out her brush to me. I smiled with a sigh and kicked off my boots, sitting down so that she could crawl in my lap. I brushed her long, dark curls until they hung around her face, smooth and knot free. When I was done, I looked down at my daughter's face and she actually seemed to be sleeping- I prayed that she was. As I sat there, time seemed to run away from me. Being in Theia's presence gave me some small amount of comfort and I rested peacefully, letting the stress of the day evaporate. I moved to hold her tenderly in my arms for a moment before allowing my eyes to close as well, settling in for a sleepless night. A strange numbness swept over me strong and leaving in its wake from all that it touch, panic. It crushed my lungs- the realization that I was losing everything I loved stark in my face as dark thoughts and queries swirled around my brain like murky water rippling in a black, fathomless lake. The strongest thought eating away at my brain was still and would always be- until he was well again, my son Cierian.

And then my mind was consumed with thoughts of Halea, my chest aching as a wave of despair washed over me. She was the one ally I had had in all of this insanity, my wife and I accepting once that neither would or could live without the other. And so we had decided to march into battle together…

Yet, now it seemed as if I were all alone.

The odds had always been against us, from the day that Halea had been born. In the realm of Asgard, one such as myself had been meant to take another of royal birth as a wife and queen, but I had chosen Halea, a daughter of one most hated in our world and in our family by my father. I had never seen the meaning in choosing for politics and not for love, and so I had followed my heart to make a queen out of her. And then my own selfish pride had led us both to be banished from our home, to be banished to Midgard and the throne ripped from underneath me. Loki had meant to kill us and our unborn children- but we had still come to beat all of the odds. But then again, we had done it together.

We were stronger together than we ever would be apart.

Theia shifted against my chest and I watched as her eyes fluttered open, a soft cry breaking from her lips. "Papa," she said, pressing her face into my leather to whimper softly. I pressed my hand to her head and spoke to her in a soothing voice, "I am here sweetling."

"Do not ever leave me. Please papa," Theia cried, seeming to relax into my touch even as she shook and sobbed. I held her until she was asleep again, turning when I heard soft footsteps in front of the door. Halea entered the room and her eyes flickered to my face, pain and emotion burning in her gaze. Her forehead was creased with worry, giving her the look of someone who had suffered a lot more than she should have- for the first time, she looked as if she was truly a millennia old. The suffering she had sought to hide from me was finally shining through and I hated to see it, even though I knew that she could not be strong forever. I wished to take her in my arms even despite my anger towards her, and protect her, as if she needed it and kiss all of her sorrows away. Her… intense emotion- one of which I had no word for- made her look as if she were carved from stone, every line and surface on her body sharply defined. Halea's eyes flickered to Theia and then she was swaying on her feet, "Had to see her… one more time."

She collapsed and I moved my daughter onto the bed, going to her mother.

I took Halea into my lap, prying one of her eyes open to see a milky, unhealthy-looking shade of blue. "Damn," I said, hoisting her up into my arms and carrying her to where Cierian was. They immediately started asking me questions, but I had no answers for them, Halea stirring with lots of provocation. "Thor, I am freezing," she said, her teeth clicking together as she shook. I wrapped my arms around her the best I could- Halea had suffered naught until Loki had arrived, my anger building in me like a storm. I fought to keep the clouds in my head from materializing in the healing alcove, looking through the thin curtain to see my son's tiny body. "You are making yourself ill-"

Despite her condition, my wife threw me a rather impressive glare, "I would not."

They attempted to discover the cause of her illness, but it became an ongoing struggle, Halea seeming to fight with herself to heal. "We are too strong for happenings such as this," I murmured, my hands on her shoulders to hold her down from the violent shaking. That night was the worst but I stayed by her side, along with the helpless nursemaids and healers, who lent their support. She would alternate between screaming and crying, begging for mercy. I watched as she slipped in and out of lucidity, my hand always on her forehead. The worst moment was when Halea suddenly gripped her stomach, shudders still racking her body and dry heaved, as if she was trying to dispel something intensely distasteful. "Oh, just get out. Get out," Halea breathed, her eyes on me.

"I will not leave your side," I vowed, my wife looking at me pitifully.

It was then that what ever gripped her let go, Halea going limp as she attempted to catch her breath. Battered just as if she had fought battle, she rolled over and grasped my hand. I stroked her forehead, kneeling down beside her as I watched that sickly color in her eyes retreat and dissipate. "My Halea. Oh, how I wish I could return you to Asgard so that they might find the cause of your… discontent," I whispered, swallowing softly. I felt weary and moved to press my forehead against hers, hearing her breathe for a few moments.

"Then let us return to Asgard," Halea whispered, my eyes flickering up to meet hers. "We fight a losing crusade here my love."

"You know that is not possible."

Halea nodded and licked her chapped lips, closing her eyes once more "And yet, how I wish it was so."

* * *

I sat at breakfast and watched over Theia, seeing how well-adjusted she was becoming to everyone. She laughed and talked with some of the soldiers who took turns looking after her, pressing into my side. I kept my hand on my daughter's curls, knowing that it was a comfort to us both.

"Thor."

Nick strode towards me, my daughter's hand wrapping around mine as I regarded him respectfully. "Can I have a word," he asked, all the people sitting at my table turning to him. I nodded and pressed a kiss to Theia's cheek, sighing, "I will not be far sweetheart. Stay here."

We moved to a private corner of the dining hall, the director looking over at where I had sat before turning to me. "A lot has happened in this past week and a half, Thor. And I'm wondering how much more you can take before you become a liability to this team. My mind is already made up on Halea and her status here-"

"What are you saying Fury," I asked quietly, my arms crossing over my chest.

"Countless hours of manpower have been afforded to the medical care of your son and your wife as well as the overseeing of your daughter. Now, if you are not an asset to this team, that means I've wasted my time and government money trying to help you. I need to know if you're still with us," Nick said, looking at me evenly. I reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear, "I stand by my word to protect this realm from all who would harm it. You should not hold me in doubt of that."

I then turned away from him, scooping up my child and taking her back to her room. It seemed that we were spending the majority of our time in our quarters as we searched for the Tesseract and interrogated Loki- which was proving fruitless.

Halea was still in bed when I passed through, Theia wanting to stop and hug her mother. My wife's response was listless, as if it were a burden to hold the child that she had given birth to. "I love you ama," she said, kissing her mother's cheek. "Go now," was Halea's only response, my daughter's eyes confused. I took Theia and laid her down for a nap, stroking her hair, "Do not let it bother you, my little bird. Your mother finds herself ill." She nodded and turned over to stare at the wall, her arm on the place where her brother had lain.

I went into the room I shared with her mother, closing the door and looking at her evenly. I tried not to raise my voice so as not to disturb Theia, "What is the matter with you?" She looked at me with disdain before turning her attention to her fingers, shrugging. "Leave me alone Thor Odin-son. I find you irritating in my weary state-"

"That child, you just crushed with your passiveness," I spat, motioning to where our daughter slept. "You see, I can handle your melancholy and your unkind words but Theia is still just a baby! You cannot just dismiss her like that!"

Halea got out of the bed, her presence seeming as if it were burning as she turned on me.

"My heart feels as if it is a dead weight, and its… killing me to breathe. I feel numb and frozen, cold inside," she said even as she tried to keep her voice low, pressing her hand to her chest. "I look at Cierian and I want to feel the need to cry, to reach out and hold him. And I look at Theia, wishing I could find it in my heart to pick her up, to play games with her. How, I wish I could be a mother- the mother I used to be… but strangely, I do not want to."

"You love those children," I whispered quietly, Halea only looking at me.

She struggled to utter her words, looking helpless before her decision was made, "But… I do not."

I crossed the room to where she was, brushing her hair back from her face. "Loki was right: I do not know you, this woman that I married. The woman I impregnated with my seed, who carried my children, who I swore to honor and respect! And protect- and love! Those vows that I took with you," I said as my voice rose steadily, finding only apathy in my heart. I did not have it in me to be angry anymore and simply shook my head at her, "For all these years that I have loved you and for all these years that you have not been true to me-"

Halea looked ill again, clutching her own midsection as if my words harmed her. "Stop it-"

"No, I want you to know how I feel! I have held my tongue long enough! I stood there and was prepared to give up everything for you, my birthright, my destiny- because I loved you, this stranger-woman. And I laid beside you every night, making love to your flesh, your spirit, your mind! Shared my bed with someone I had no clue could deceive me as thus-"

My wife was doubled over, breathing heavily as her entire body shook. I could see her breaking out in a sweat, veins transparent underneath her increasingly pale skin. "Halea," I asked, seeing her struggling to control… something. I took a step towards her and she held her hand out to me before coughing, releasing herself from the confines of her tight jacket. The air around her began to darken, shadows swirling around her form. "Thor, get out," Halea hissed, her entire body contorting. I did not move however, taking another step towards her. She was shaking violently now, all of the bones in her spine standing in relief as the snaps coming from within her body became audible. "Halea!"

Her head snapped up and her eyes bored into mine, almost pleading as she pressed herself back against the wall. That crystalline, almost opaque blue color was seeping into her eyes again and electricity sparked from her gaze, radiating both sadness and complete evil- and what humanity was there was fading fast. "Take our daughter and get out- now Thor," she shrieked, looking more like one of her valkyries than I had ever seen her. I rushed back into my daughter's room as I heard Halea scream, picking up Theia and pulling Mjolnir off of my hip. It felt as if the air around me began to roar as Halea attacked, the valkyries swarming around me. I shielded my daughter and looked at the soldiers around me, turning to look back at my wife as she stood before me, eyes now fully black and her teeth bared. Theia was screaming at the top of her lungs and all the noise around me deafened into silence, my eyes locked with that of my wife's. I could feel someone braving the storm around me to wrap their arms around Theia's, turning to see Steve's face. "Give her to me Thor! I have her," he shouted, throwing an elbow at one of the screaming shadows. Relinquishing my hold on her, he moved and I felt the valkyries attack, clawed hands ripping and scratching at me. I dropped Mjolnir, walking towards her through the blackness surrounding me, "Halea, stop!"

I moved, every step excruciating until I brought her into the storm with me, faintly hearing all of the alarms going off.

"Stop! Do not let this darkness control you," I shouted over the storm, taking her in my arms.

Halea seemed to surface for a moment before inhaling as she tossed her head back, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. It terrified me to see all of the darkness and shadows being consumed by my wife, even her valkyries flying down her throat. She looked at me once it was all over, her voice hoarse, "I do not let the darkness control me, Thor. I am the darkness.

"Remember what you promised."

She then went limp in my arms and I fell to my knees, a sudden emptiness filling my entire being. I felt empty and incomplete, feeling as if my wife had died in my arms for I knew that she was no longer here.

People surged forward to surround us, pulling Halea from my arms and whisking her away.

I sat against the wall, seeing nothing and hearing less, allowing my head to fall forward into my waiting hands. All that I had fought for- all that I had a reason to fight for- was dying, fading before my very eyes.


	12. Loving Her

Fury entered the interrogation room that I had sought refuge in, slamming the door behind him.

"What the hell was that?"

"That, was the death of my wife," I replied listlessly, slouching in my chair. "She had contact with the Tesseract in Asgard, but I thought that it was simply injuries from the shockwave created behind the portal… I know now that she was infected with the same illness as my son; Halea was fighting it, trying to continue on for Cierian. Yes, she would lose her grip on it sometimes, but she was keeping it down. Until tonight. She was the goddess of war and that darkness- she had control over it once, before all of this. But it has consumed her: it grew within her until it ripped her completely apart…"

Nick ran a hand back over his head and sighed, "You knew something was wrong, we all did but we still exposed ourselves to danger-" I looked up at him before leaning over to rest my elbows on my knees, folding my hands underneath my chin. "I should have done something more to help her, to save her from this," I murmured, shaking my head.

"Thor, your child and your wife need you. You still have a world to protect- you have to snap out of your grief and quick, because we have work to do, friend," he said, leaving me to compose myself. Lost and confused, I went to see my wife, the unconscious form that had once housed all that I loved and desired laying on a table covered in a sheet. My blood boiled beneath my skin as I stared down at her, my chest feeing tight, as if I could not get any breath into my lungs. There were dark veins around her eyes and more around her forehead, all of the veins in her body looking as if they were pushing a tar-like substance throughout her. I moved to grasp her hand, seeing my wedding band on her thumb and replacing it on my own finger, wrapping both of my hands around the cold, hardened flesh. "I doubted you because of the jealousy and anger in my own heart, hurt you over things that Loki said. I should have listened to you Halea and for my mistakes- my failings as a husband- I ask for your forgiveness. What ever it takes, what ever I must do, I will make this right for both of you. I love you, I love you so much," I said, kissing her hand before kissing her forehead, closing my eyes to hold back the tears threatening to spill there. I stroked her cheek and pressed my lips to hers, feeling the absence of softness as the flesh there dried and cracked.

"Thor?"

I turned to look at Banner, kissing my wife's hand again before going to him, "You have need of me?" He nodded and I sighed, taking a look over my shoulder at Cierian before following the doctor to his private workspace. He held up two small tube full of viscous-looking dark fluid and set them down, turning a monitor towards me. "We took blood samples from your wife and son to run tests. And this tube-" Banner held up a similar looking tube, "is my blood. As you can see from these tests, the levels of gamma radiation in Halea and Cierian are much higher than my own. This unique type and high amount of radiation is what makes… my big green friend what he is. Now the adverse effects we saw last night with Halea make me fear how the growing radiation inside of them is going to manifest.

"Now I've been studying your brother's scepter and its power source has the same signature- unique- energy markings as the Tesseract. So now, I'm wondering exactly how much control he has over the spread of their illness-"

We were interrupted by Stark and Steve, the two of them arguing. "Rogers, its an intelligence agency that seems to fear intelligence which is historically, not awesome. So now I've bugged them and in a few hours, I'll know every dirty little secret SHIELD has been trying to hide. Want a blueberry," he offered, my friend giving him a glare. Banner and I listened, Steve placing himself in front of Tony, "How can you not trust Fury?"

"He's a spy, Cap- no, he's the spy. Even his secrets have secrets-"

"We don't have time to snoop around: we have orders and we should follow them," he replied, staring at Tony. The hardheaded one shrugged and leaned against the counter, Banner moving to keep him from his work. "Following's not really my style," Tony shrugged, the irritation evident on Steve's face. "Cause you're all about style, aren't you," Rogers asked scathingly, his opponent pulling out a pen and chewing on the end. "Well, of all the people in this room, which one is A- wearing a spangly outfit and B- not of use?"

Banner sighed and shook his head at them, "You two are annoying."

Tony jabbed him in the side and Banner winced, my intuition kicking in as my hand flashed towards Mjolnir- if he was going to explode, I wanted to be prepared. Stark seemed disappointed, rolling his eyes, "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret, Bruce? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

"You're endangering everyone on the ship by trying to provoke him- no offense Bruce," Steve said, stating the intention for his words before turning back to Tony. "Is everything a joke to you?"

"No, but funny things are," Stark said, his nonchalant attitude obviously getting underneath Steve's skin. "I knew guys worth ten of you- I've seen the footage of you tearing up New York. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you-" Tony scoffed, picking up a pair of scissors, "I think I would just cut the wire." Steve only shook his head and chuckled humorlessly, the man before him smirking as well. "Always a way out, huh? You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

Steve's words seemed to irritate Stark, who's smile fell and he straightened up, "A hero? Like you?... You're nothing more than a lab rat, Rogers. Everything that you are came out of a bottle-"

I shook my head, fed up with their bickering and turning to leave.

"You people are so petty and tiny…"

I went to Loki's cell, sitting down before him and sighing. He was laying down on the bench that served as a bed, one leg dangling over as the other was bent at the knee, his hands clasped behind her head.

"Brother," I said, his burning gaze affixing itself on me.

"Your presence has a certain ability to irk," Loki said pleasantly, moving towards the glass. He raised an eyebrow at me before sitting down in another conjured chair, "Where is your enchanting wife?"

I cast a burning glare at him, folding my arms across my chest before I composed myself enough to speak. "You already know, do you not?It was you of course, who said that the Tesseract showed you many things, that you learned from it. And so now, I demand it of you to tell me what has taken root in my wife. Last night Halea collapsed after your darkness consumed her-" Loki chuckled and shook his head, settling back in his chair. "No brother, I believe we both know that that particular sort of darkness had been growing inside of her for a long-"

"You planted it there," I replied quietly, Loki shrugging.

"Then you were not the only one who filled her with your seed."

I set my jaw and my brother seemed amused, reaching up to tuck his inky hair behind his ear, "I seem to have upset you. Why? Is it truly because it was I who wield the Tesseract and its power… or is it because it is you who lost it in the first place? If you had been more careful, your wife and child would be well and you would be at home upon your throne not paying a bit of attention to this world or to me. You put yourself into this position-"

"You have infected her mind-"

Loki stood fluidly and came towards the glass, smiling, "No, brother I impregnated her with madness, burdened her with glorious purpose! Even in that shadowy realm between worlds, I sensed her aura, calling out to me even as it struggled against the freedom I gave it. Halea had had it tamed and beaten down for so long- for you, but I set her free. While I enslave this world, I gave her the candor that her inner demon was crying out for. But your wife is a hard one to break, attempting to keep the darkness at bay for her precious Thor- I made short order of her will once I got here, however. You sitting here and her standing beside you trying to be the dutiful wife you needed while she held my token and stared into my eyes. In every glance, every breath I was raping her self-control into submission and she was simply begging me for it!"

"Whatever you think you did, did not work for she looked into my eyes and I saw that she was still there, somewhere buried underneath the shadows," I replied triumphantly, Loki only shaking his head. "You only believe that because you want to. You have always seen her in this white light that does not fit her- she is a child of darkness, as am I. And yes, maybe you saw the façade that you have come to know as your wife- I do not doubt that it will remain there, somewhere; after all, it has been a part of her for a very long time. But you will see, soon enough exactly what I speak of," he replied, shrugging as she sat down once more. "When did this stop being about your affronts and start being about my wife?"

"I will kill you Thor Odin-son," Loki said quietly, his words full of loathing. "You took the one thing from me that I loved- took it and claimed it for your own! We were brothers, and as easily as if you were taking a toy… no matter. You will never touch what belongs to me- what is rightfully mine ever again."

He looked away from me then and I inhaled deeply, feeling as if I were being kept out of some massive secret.

And then it all clicked, my eyes growing wide, "You… you loved her!"

"Yes," Loki shouted, his anger rolling off of him in great waves. "Yes, I loved her before you ever saw her! Your mother knew it and your father as well, but they did not care for what I wanted, only for Thor! You overlooked her, only wanted to be friends when she was in love with you so desperately. I was the one there to comfort her as you whored around Asgard, as people looked down upon her, shunned her even because she was never good enough- we were birds of a feather… She hated you, hated you so for making her love you and then she sought solace in me. I made her recognize the darkness and embrace it while I embraced her for everything she was and everything she could never be. I watched even as she resisted, how you would come into her life again and again and make a mess of it, trample over her heart and emotions before walking out of it with the harlot of the week! You never saw her… until you knew that I wanted her and then to spite me, you took her from me!"

"And so you destroy a world… for Halea," I asked quietly, swallowing.

Loki panted, pounding his fist against the glass once, "Would you not do the same?"

"You are hurting the woman you claim to love brother; you are killing her-" He sneered even though I could see the pain in his eyes, his retort as scathing and hateful as I knew he could muster. "Well then I would rather her dead than enslaved by the likes of you and your righteousness. Halea's pain is her penance, her atonement- her liberation!"

"Fine," I whispered, closing my eyes as I inhaled deeply. I knew that what I was about to say was damning but that Halea would want me to do whatever it took to save our son, "Do what you will with her, but release my son."

He considered my offer, taking his seat once more and folding his hands in his lap. "I believe you just sacrificed your beloved wife for your son. Now, is that really what you want," Loki questioned, meeting my gaze evenly. I felt his searching my gaze as I nodded, my brother unable to keep himself from smiling. "Well now, isn't this quite a twist? The mighty Thor seeing finally that he cannot have it all- that he cannot have them both- and choosing his son. How noble of him… and how desperate he is."

"You have made me so," I admitted, defeated. "And it is what Halea would want me to do."

"Still, I will not release him," Loki said, laughing at the shock that found its place upon my features. "Seeing you in pain pleases me. Maybe when he has breathed his last, wondering why his papa did not save him- when she stares into your eyes as death rattles in her throat, maybe then you will feel as I have felt all these years."

I struck his cage with Mjolnir, cursing him and struggling to gain entry- I would throttle him with my bare hands.

Many men were there then and pulling me away, Loki's laughter haunting me even as I was taken from the room and made to cool off, locked in what seemed to be a training chamber. I let Mjolnir fall from my grasp and took up punching at the walls, refusing to stop until my knuckles were ripped and shredded. The stinging was such a pain that I recognized it easily but could not ignore the more present pain that had taken residence in my heart.

The door opened and Natasha entered, carrying a small bowl and a small bag. She placed them on the table in the corner before holding both of her hands out, beckoning me to her silently.

I placed my hands in hers, inhaling deeply to keep back a building sob.

"Looks like you won't be holding that hammer of yours for a little while," Natasha said, pulling me to the table and sitting me down. She tending to my hands, bathing them in some type of stinging liquid before looking up at me. "You can't let him get to you."

"You do not know my brother," I retorted quietly, Natasha smirking.

She began to dab ointment onto my wounds, sighing, "I'll have a talk with your brother. After all, women are notoriously more convincing than men could ever hope to be."

"He has had his sights set on one woman for many centuries…"

I looked at her, and she smiled wryly, reaching up to tuck her startlingly red behind her ear. "I came in here to get you because Theia wants her daddy-" I shook my head as she wrapped gauze around my hands, knowing that she did not need to see me in this state. "It is not wise for her to be in my company right now-"

"Thor, she's your daughter! And you're the only one she has right now- you owe it to that baby to hold her hand through all of this," Natasha said, looking at me evenly. I met her gaze and shook my head, "I cannot focus on what I need to do when I am concerning myself with the things that I want."

"I understand making sacrifices, but you never sacrifice family."

Natasha only sighed when I did not respond, standing from where she had crouched before me and resting her hands on her hips. "Ready to go round two with Loki," she asked, leading me out of the room.

When we had reached his cell, she stopped me and swallowed, "I'm going in alone but I wanted you here to watch my back. I need to know what angle he's working at being here in the Hive- if Loki had no purpose on this ship, you're damn sure he wouldn't be here. Watch a master at work."

She slipped inside and I leaned against the door, listening carefully and watching through the glass.

"Ah, the spy. Barton's told me all about you," Loki said, his voice like mercury.

"Where is he?"

Loki chuckled humorlessly and I heard him pacing behind the glass, "Now, why would I go and tell you that?" Natasha sighed, taking a seat before Loki, studying him carefully. "I have… a debt to settle with Clint. He saved my life once-"

"And so you would have me give him to you for what? My freedom presumably," my brother asked, smirking. "Your entire world in the balance and you bargain for one man?"

The woman nodded, waving her hand carelessly, "Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that: I'm Russian... or at least, I was. And its really not as complicated as you think- I've got red in my ledger and I'd like to wipe it out." I watched as Loki moved towards the glass, his entire being intimidating as he smiled menacingly at Natasha. My hand balled into a fist and I prepared myself to burst through the door before pausing, letting her work. "Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter, Tugenov, the hospital fire? Yes, Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it is gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer... pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away," Loki shouted, lost in his fanatical craze as he looked at her. "No, no, I will not touch Barton- not until I make him kill you! Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear! And when he wakes, he will have just enough time to see the work he is done, and when he screams, I will break his skull! This is my bargain to you, you mewling quim!"

I heard her let out a sound full of terror, Natasha hands flying up to cover her face. "You're a monster," she said tearfully, turning away from Loki so that I could see her. She was completely in control, her eyes calculating as she waited for my brother's response.

"No, you brought the monster-"

She turned to face him, Loki caught off-guard by her cool demeanor, "Huh. So, its Banner- that's your play, that's why you're here." Natasha smiled at him and bowed out of the room, thanking him from his cooperation. I walked with her towards where Banner was in his workroom, shaking my head, "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Typical, playing childish games with dangers he has no idea how to control…"

"Like your wife," Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You have no idea."


	13. Changing Times

We entered the workroom to bickering, Steve glaring at Fury, "Phase Two is all about using the Tesseract to make weapons! I thought you brought us together to save the world, not bring you a weapon!"

"Phase Two has nothing to do with any of you," Nick said before turning on me. "Its about Thor and Halea!"

"Me," I questioned, confused as to how I was thrust into an argument so quickly. "When the arrival of visitors from another world confirmed that we are not alone in this universe, people got worried- especially when those two leveled an entire town," Fury clarified, everyone looking at me. "Halea and I meant no harm and neither do our people- only peace!"

He chuckled humorlessly and looked around, "As your brother has been kind to inform us, you're not the only race in the universe!"

"So we were building deterrences," Stark questioned, the director giving him a glare.

The room exploded into opinions, leaving me to lean against the counter and watch. "I mean, it makes sense- SHIELD monitors all sorts of potential treats," Natasha said, trying to reason with Tony, Bruce and Steve. "And is Captain America on that potential threat watch list? Or is that just me," Bruce questioned, Stark seeming smug as he turned on Steve. "Hear that Rogers, you're on the list! Hmm, I wonder if you're above or below angry bees-"

"I swear to God Stark, one more crack and…"

"Threatened," Tony shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "I feel threatened."

I shook my head, knowing that there was more on the line other than lies and secrecy, "And here I was thinking that humans were more evolved than this."

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and start blowing stuff up," Fury asked, rounding on me again. I stood up from my place against the counter, folding my arms across my chest. "Was it not you who asked me to help fight this war with you? You sit here and speak of control- of deterring those who seek to harm you, yet you are here courting chaos!"

"Well, its his M.O, isn't it," Banner asked, leaning against the table where Loki's staff was on display. "I mean, what are we, a team Nick? No, no, no- we're this chemical mixture that makes… chaos. We're- we're a time-bomb!"

The tension in the room was escalating fast and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, wishing I had Mjolnir. Fury looked at Banner and sighed, "You need to step away-"

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam," Tony asked, butting in and looking at Fury. He was doing everything he could to try and get underneath the director's skin, Steve stepping in between them, "You know damn well why he shouldn't 'let' off a little steam! Back off!"

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-"

Bruce scoffed, throwing his hands up as he looked around the room. "Back where, Nick? You rented out my room," he said, speaking of the massive cage where Loki was being currently held. "That cell was built in case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I should know- I tried, more than once. I got low, I didn't see an end and so I put a bullet in my mouth... and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on, I focused on helping other people- I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!"

Natasha started moving towards me, her eyes fixed on Banner as he spoke to her now, "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

I watched as she pulled a gun, Bruce unconsciously reaching back and grabbing Loki's staff. I stepped forward to place myself in front of the smaller woman, setting my jaw as Steve held his hands out to Banner.

"Bruce," he said, catching his attention. "Put down the scepter."

Banner looked down, seemingly shocked at the fact that the staff was in his hands. There was a beeping sound and he placed the scepter upon its stand, going over to one of the computers as everyone audibly relaxed. "Sorry kids, you don't get to see my little party trick after all."

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, the Tesseract is-"

There was a loud booming noise and the entire aircraft lurched, the loss of pressure evident. I felt the floor falling from underneath my feet, reaching out to grab Natasha but feeling her fingers slip through mine. She and Banner dropped to the floor below, Fury rushing out of the room as Tony and Steve moved to get in their suits. "Natasha, do not move," I shouted, knowing that I had to check on the wellbeing of my family and retrieve Mjolnir. She attempted to push a heavy pipe off of her, staring off to where I could not see, "Hurry Thor. Hurry!"

I ran through the ship, going to the healing room as I summoned my hammer. "Are they alright," I asked the nursemaids there, seeing both Cierian and Halea with eyes wide open, their chests seeming to rise and fall much faster than what should have been possible. There were machines going off and I stood at my son's feet, "Someone tell me what is going on!"

"We don't know Thor- go! Leave them to us," a doctor said, pushing me towards the door.

Running, I went to find my daughter, going to the front of the ship and hearing persistent pinging sounds, throwing Mjolnir up to keep one from hitting me. "Agent Hill-"

"Theia is safe! Go and stop Banner from ripping up the ship," she shouted back to me, holding my daughter behind her. I met Theia's eyes and she bit down on her bottom lip, my heart breaking for her- she had been thrust into a world that was meant for no child. "I love you," I said before leaving her, going to where I heard the majority of the chaos. Banner was as dangerous as I had presumed from first glance in all of his monstrous glory, Natasha running from him. I struck him and the Hulk was sent flying, the woman before me cowering. I wrapped my arm around her waist, raising her up and moving her away from the fight. "Go now and make sure that Loki remains in his cell. Can you do that for me," I asked, seeing the Hulk rushing towards me. She nodded at me once before running off, my attention at once back on Banner.

The force in that beast was not what I expected, Bruce picking me up and slinging me around like a rag doll. I smashed into several large canisters, landing on my back with my head striking the ground hard. Mjolnir was thrown from me and I rolled into a crouching position, staring at the Hulk as I reached my hand out for my hammer. He made eye contact with me and I panted, knowing I had a very tough fight ahead. The Hulk charged at me, roaring, as Mjolnir flew into my hand, a single powerful swing causing him to be knocked back into the small aircrafts that the SHIELD Hive carried in its underbelly. It only served to enrage him more and he ripped off one of its parts, slinging it towards me. I ran towards him, ducking the flying debris with ease before throwing Mjolnir at Banner in attempt to subdue him from afar. He caught my hammer but was taken to the ground by its weight, unable to lift it. I knew that at least somewhere inside of him he was still thinking rationally, as he tried to pick up Mjolnir and found that he could not, growing steadily angrier. I saw my chance and ran up to him, catching him in the jaw with my knee. He stumbled back and I grabbed Mjolnir, jumping on the Hulk's back and using my hammer to help me choke him.

"I am not your enemy, Banner! Try to think," I shouted, the behemoth seeming to subdue.

And then there were explosions around us, the Hulk breaking away and running through the ship. I went to go after him before being brought to my knees by a crippling pain, my hand clutching at my chest as I attempted to breathe. I realized exactly what it was and picked myself up, going to where Cierian and Halea were supposed to be. "No!" Turning over the empty beds, I destroyed the room before going to get Loki, preparing to exact my vengeance once and for all. I entered the room and saw his cell open, my brother stepping out. I lunged at him before falling through him, knowing that I had been tricked the instant the room sealed up behind me.

Loki stepped out of the shadows, dressed in all of his battle armor as he wielded his staff.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

I panted angrily as I stared at him, striking the cage in which I was held. "Ah, ah," Loki said, his hand hovering over a button. "You do that again and I will be forced to drop you out of the sky, plummeting to the earth-"

"And we would not want that, now would we? The humans think us immortal, but you and I know the truth, do we not," a seductive voice questioned. Halea slinked into the room, dressed in an outfit of black and red, looking as glacially regal as only she could. She wore tight leather pants tucked into heeled boots and a short bustier that exposed the majority of her stomach, her overcoat long and embellished with a train that trailed behind her as if she were in a gown.

She gave me a smile and moved to Loki's side, my brother placing a hand on her lower back. Her eyes were blue now and all of her features seemed drawn somehow, more angular and sharp… it made her look like Loki. "You are awake? You are-"

"Alive," Halea asked, walking towards the glass. "I am glad you noticed after you went off, running to save some woman's life."

"It is my duty," I said, breathing heavily.

She only smirked, looking at me evenly, "You are angered- good. I have been angry for so long and now I get to inflict my wrath on this whole realm. Maybe after Loki and I have finished here we will go to Asgard-"

"You stay away from Asgard!"

"Brother, you are really in no position to bark orders especially not at the Midgardian queen," Loki said, my wife smiling as she returned to his side. I knew the implications of his words and resisted striking the glass, my hand tightening on the handle of Mjolnir. "She is my wife and you will release her-" Halea scoffed, gesturing to herself, "Do I look like I am in chains, Odin-son? I am more free now than I have ever been with you! I am the goddess of war and that is exactly what I intend on bringing to this world- I will set it on fire and stand over it, laughing, as 'humanity' burns to the ground. And when I am done, I will make love in the ashes with Loki."

He smiled and looked at me as he stroked her cheek, "Yes we will my love."

They kissed and I turned away, not wanting to see him touch her so intimately. "If you sully her, I will kill you," I whispered, my brother laughing. Loki walked towards the cage and leaning against the glass before me- close enough that I could reach out had I not been imprisoned. "Sully her? How could it be possible to sully something so sweet? You know as well as I do that every time you take her, she smells and tastes and feels just as pure as she did the first time. That is right Thor, let the truth settle into your mind and spread there, burning and tainting all of the memories you have of her. I am going to use a very crude word when I say this to you: it was I who fucked your wife first, took her maidenhood and made her into a woman-" I hit the glass again and it actually cracked, Halea holding her hand out over the control panel. "Why does that anger you so, brother? I made her into what she is now and you seem to have enjoyed yourself- you should be thanking me! I would make my apologies but I cannot find it in my heart to do so, not when I enjoyed myself so very much. And I remember it so fondly, her hands tangling in my hair, stroking along my back, gripping my hips and well… other places. I kissed her so tenderly, held her face in my hand as I took her for the first time. She was tight and kicking, begging me to stop until the pain subsided. I filled her with my seed- your woman- and it was the first time of many."

"You do not have to do this," I said, looking over Loki's shoulder at my wife.

"But I want to."

One of the side doors burst open and Coulson walked in, holding a rather large weapon in his hands as he looked at Loki and Halea. "And you're going to lose. Halea, open the cell. Now please," the agent said, my wife refusing to move. Loki instead spoke, and he smiled, "Are we?"

"It's in your nature to lose."

Halea looked at him viciously, and the air began to swirl around her, Loki knowing he had the advantage of her on his side. "Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky... where is my disadvantage?"

"Its your lack of conviction," Coulson said, Loki protesting before he was blasted into the wall behind him. Halea jumped into action, pulling her knife from her hip and going after the man who had always been so kind to us.

"No my dear," Loki said venomously, coming out the rubble. "Allow me."

I shouted as he impaled Coulson on the end of his spear, my brother raising him up and tossing him almost effortlessly away over his shoulder. Blood gurgled in the agent's throat and I watched helplessly as Halea stepped over him, returning to her place behind Loki.

My brother came to the cell again and wiped at the blood on his lip, panting angrily. "Now where were we? Oh yes, I believe I was assuring you that Halea will be will taken care of after your death. And I promise that despite whatever heir we may have together, it will be yours that we place upon the Midgardian throne."

Cierian was brought into the room by one of Loki's henchmen, my son looking like a smaller version of my brother as he had in our youth. "Come here sweetness and say goodbye to your father," Loki said, holding his arms out to my son. Cierian went him willingly, a small smile on his face as he reached out to press his hand to the glass. With tears in my eyes, I pressed my hand over his and prepared myself for the inevitable, Halea waiting on Loki's word.

"Goodbye my son," I whispered, knowing that the hour of my death was upon me. "I love you."

"Goodbye papa."

I was thrust into the air, the floor falling away from my feet as the cell tumbled to the Earth below. Trying to keep my footing, I gripped Mjolnir and braced myself against the wall, knowing I had only one chance for escape before I would be crushed. I leapt towards the crack I had created when attempting to harm Loki, the glass shattering as I catapulted out of the cell. It crashed into the ground and I landed in a field not that far away, my heart racing. I stayed down on all fours, feeling more exhausted and beaten down than I ever had. Loki's words and the scenes in the Hive played through my minds eye over and over until I became violently sick, throwing up. The tears started then and I sobbed freely- the first time I had truly cried since Loki had fallen from Asgard.

I could not wrap my mind around how suddenly my life had been flipped upside down- the realization that she had been with my brother and that they were going to put my innocent child on a throne forged in blood. I wanted to hate her for coming into my life and giving birth to my children- things that made me vulnerable. Yet, I knew that I could never hate her, my heart aching for her.

Suddenly, I was struck by the memory of the meteor shower with Halea upon Jane Foster's roof, moving to stand. We had enjoyed each other and the night, gazing up at the phenomenon before us. I had seen life in her perspective then, knowing how she simply longed for peace when she felt so insignificant. And I felt insignificant now, even knowing that all the matter in the entire universe, all came from the exact same place and time when it was made. She was more a part of me than I could have thought and that night underneath the shooting stars made me realized that we were tied together to the stars and to the earth and to each other- to all people, related in creation.

As I made up my mind as to what I had to do, I walked over to Mjolnir, a large part of my mind screaming that I would regret my actions for the rest of my life. The voice shouted that sharing even in her madness would be worth any pain that came with it, but for as fearless as I was about most things, I was terribly afraid of this. I knew the pain that awaited when the darkest hour was upon us, but I told myself that I could handle it.

And I knew that I was wrong.


	14. Author's Note: Clarifications

-Author's Note-

So after a flood of PMs and quite a few reviews on the matter, I am here to set the record straight. So far in A Simple Man, we have seen a LOT of 'mood swings' from Mrs. Odin-son and many of you are wondering what the hell is going on.

She is under the INFLUENCE of that deadly Tesseract!

Yes, in Asgard when protecting her son Halea was as well tied to it and her life force affected. Her symptoms are vastly different from Cierian's because she is not a little boy and much stronger than such. As well, Halea is the GODDESS OF WAR- being which makes her a very deadly and dark entity (she can control shadows, after all). Although mother and wife she is, there is no escaping the fact that this little woman is a force to be reckoned with. She really doesn't know that she is as affected as she is, but she can feel the darkness inside of her welling up, something she fought to control so as to stand in Thor's light (more later AND in the prequel, maybe). Halea has the POTENTIAL TO BE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY EVIL, but gave up her days as a badie to become the queen and Madonna we all know and love. Loki- despite his words to his brother- has more than a little control over his new 'partner-in-crime' because he knows with her there's more chaos and destruction to be had than a little bit. So in the times when she is sweet and loving with her husband, she has control, and in other times when she's fighting and being rather nasty, the wife Thor knows... is gone for lack of a better term. She's a Jean Grey/ Phoenix character, or a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... or dare I say it, a really little, really nasty Bruce Banner/ Hulk sort of lady.

So there is your RECAP and behind-the-scenes I guess, so continuing reading and enjoy.

****but you can't continue reading because I am refusing to update this story unless I get lots more reviews. sorry if that makes you angry: I love the feedback and dare I say it... the attention!

-Elle


	15. To Keep A Promise

**AN: Please forgive me for what I'm about to do, but for the sake of the story, it had to be done. But, its not over yet! Promise!**

* * *

I returned to the Hive, taking in the chaos that Loki had left in his wake.

"Thor?"

Natasha ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck, "We thought you were dead! Loki took Halea and Cierian-"

"I know," I replied as she released me, looking down at her. "If Loki gets to the Tesseract before we get to him, he is going to open a portal to the Chitauri home world and then…"

"We'll find them. Everyone's getting assembled," she said, nodding.

I changed into my full armor, looking at the bunk where Halea and I slept sadly. Turning away I went to meet the rest of the team, Steve and Tony deep in discussion. "Where is Banner," I questioned, Natasha just giving me a sad look. Another man joined us- Barton, the one that Loki had taken for his own and made to do his bidding. I looked at him with my hand on Mjolnir, Natasha shaking her head at me, "Its alright, he's a friend-"

"Steve, you're not hearing me: he wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it! Loki wants an audience," Tony said, his suit looking scuffed and rough. Steve nodded and ran his fingers back through his hair, "Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard."

"Well, that's just a preview and what he's doing with his army- this is opening night. Thor, Loki's a full-tilt diva, right? What is it that he wants most?"

I pondered the question, everyone looking to me, "Power and subjects, I believe."

"And he wants flowers, parades- he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered-" Stark paused, looking around as if he was in shock. "Son of a bitch."

We all followed him out to the deck of the ship, Tony's helmet coming across his face as he prepared for flight, "Meet me at Stark Tower. Now!" He left and I looked at the others, swinging Mjolnir around.

"See you there."

I flew after Stark through the city until we landed on a large building bearing his name, Loki standing on what looked like a balcony as I spotted Halea and Cierian standing beside Erik and a device holding the Tesseract. My wife and I made eye contact, her sword flashing down at her side in challenge. "Go to Loki," she said to our son, my traitorous brother and Stark disappearing inside of his domicile.

Walking towards Halea, she stepped between Erik and I, but he was not my concern.

"My love," I said, my wife regarding me with a cruel smile. "Always taking possession of me. I belong to no man and you will not take claim of me again," she replied, looking to where Stark and Loki spoke. I could see that my son was clutching to his leg and found myself enraged, "You would split apart a bond forged in the womb. He belongs with his sister- you should let me take him and put Loki's blood upon his bloody throne-"

"You know of his wishes as well as I do. I would take care not to try and manipulate me again."

Tony was kicked out of the window and onto the balcony where Loki had stood, his new battle armor encasing him like a glove. Loki stepped out to meet him, Cierian still at his side, "Child, go and stay out of papa's way." I watched as Halea raised Brunhilda, prepared to defend Loki, "Erik, open the portal."

"No!"

I turned to destroy the Tesseract, my wife slashing at me in a way that cut the air. I rolled and ducked, delivering a swift kick to her back that landed her beside Loki, striking the Cube. The force created from striking the Tesseract threw me back through the air, all of us looking up at the swirling in the sky as another realm's stars began to show through. "You will pay for that," I heard Halea said, my eyes on my brother.

"Loki, end this now! Before we are all dead," I shouted, raising Mjolnir.

"There is no end to it brother," he smiled as he raised his spear to Tony. "There is only the war!"

Halea flew at me and I moved back to avoid her assault, disarming her as the Chitauri began to pour into Midgard. The screaming of a world began almost immediately and I felt for him, knowing there was nothing I could do until I had dealt with my wife first. She slashed at me and I used Mjolnir to hit the sword from her, Halea resorting to using her fists. I bashed her in the face with my hammer, my wife only stumbling back before she spat out blood onto the ground and glared at me. "Stop this now Halea! I know that somewhere, inside of you that your rational mind is still there. Listen to me- look at me! I am your husband, the father of your children and the only person who has stood beside you in times both good and bad-"

"You stood beside me? I rode beside you once to conquer this very land you now seek to defend! I allowed myself to be banished from my home so as to follow you! I stood beside you Thor, when no one else would! When the whole world had abandoned you and when you father cast you out and when you were not even worthy to be called an Asgardian, I stood beside you! So do not stand here and tell me that you accepted me for what I was, when it was I who was forced to accept you and your faults," she bellowed, pulling out a dagger from her boot. It tore me apart to hear truth ring in her words and threw Mjolnir at her, bringing her to the ground. I went to her and knelt down at her side, taking Halea's dagger and tossing it over the edge of the building.

"Come back to me," I begged, seeing the color in her eyes shift for a moment. "Please Halea."

I felt a sharp pain in my side, pulling away to find another small dagger buried deep in my side as Halea glared at me. "Sentimental fool," she muttered, grasping the handle of the dagger and pushing it deeper so that she could escape my grasp. She stood and made to go to Loki, my hand traveling down to take a hold of the dagger. With her back to me, I raised the small blade and with an agonizing yell, threw it, seeing it find its mark deep in between her ribs. She cried out and went down onto her knees, Loki turning to scream at me, "No!" And then she was pushing him away, Loki turning to give me an evil glare as Halea sunk to the ground fully.

"Mark my words, you will pay dearly for this," he said, leaping through the air before landing on a small Chitauri craft.

Halea cried out again and I went to her, taking her into my arms. "Ah! Pull it- pull it out Thor," she said, gripping my thigh as my hand tightened on the dagger. Her scream split the air as I pulled the knife out, moving to cover the wound with my hand. Halea rolled over in my arms to stare up at me, her hand reaching out to grasp mine. I gave her my hand, gripping it tightly before stroking her hair with the other, feeling warmth spread beneath us. "Look at me- stay with me Halea," I said urgently, shifting her in my arms.

"It will not be long," she said, blood trickling from the side of her mouth. "Thank you."

I looked into her eyes, cradling her face, "You are a foolish woman. How could you thank me for ending your life?"

Halea smiled and closed her eyes for a moment before looking at me, the sound of her breath sounding labored. "Because you did it for me, for them… for us. I have loved you since the day I saw you and that love will love on past this body. You kept your promise Thor," my wife murmured, the chaos around us seeming to quiet as she spoke.

"And you are breaking yours. You promised to always be at my side-"

"I know," she whispered, reaching up to stroke my face. "But not like this Thor- I cannot love you like you deserve, not like this."

She was asking for me to give her a warrior's death and I felt disgusted at what I had done, but honored her wishes all the same. Every heartbeat sent a new torrent of warmth rushing down my thigh and I grasped her even tighter, asking for forgiveness. She only brought my lips to hers and I could not revel in that kiss, not when it tasted like metal- like blood. "I love you." I stroked her cheek, seeing the light begin to dim in her eyes and smiling as best I could. "I love you too my sweet, darling Halea," I whispered, continuing to stroke her hair and to comfort her. I could hear the Tesseract over my shoulder, pulsing with the power it was getting back from her life force.

Halea's breaths began to come quicker then and she gripped my hand for dear life, her lips trembling. This death was unlike any of the times when she had landed herself in the underworld between planes and somewhere in my heart, I knew that this was much more than a simple step into the darkness.

The air started to shift around us, her valkyries appearing- I knew that they would usher her soul from here back to Asgard, but I did not want to let her go, biting my bottom lip. "Halea-"

"I see… Valhalla," Halea whispered, the word dying on her lips as she exhaled quietly.

I saw a flash of light and then the valkyries were gone, carrying with them the essence of her life.

My breathing hitched and I felt my face contort in pain, looking at her open eyes. The cold blue color leached away to leave her eyes colorless and dim, the fire gone with the life that had left her. I hugged her to me tightly and cried quietly before screaming her name as if it would bring her back to me, hearing it echo through the city even over the din of the battle below. I cradled my wife gently in my arms and closed her eyes with shaking fingers, knowing that I would never hear her voice again or her laughter. I refused to succumb to the pain, knowing that I still had a world and children to fight for, feeling the rage well up inside of me. It was unfair that her life should have ended like this, her body limp in my lap.

I brushed her hair back, pulling my fingers through the knots and moved to lay her on the ground away from the blood, cleaning her up the best I could with my bare hands. I summoned Brunhilda and laid it on her body, folding her hands over the hilt.

"I love you," I whispered, pressing one last kiss to her lips. "I love you so much."

Without another thought, I flew down to where the rest of the Avengers were, wielding Mjolnir furiously in an effort to put the death of my wife in the back of my mind. They watched me as best they could until all of the Chitauri warriors were dead, regrouping so as to plan for the next phase of the battle. "Have you been injured Thor," Natasha asked seriously, reloading her weapon. I shook my head and looked back towards Stark Tower, "Not physically."

She looked at me and realization dawned on her face, the small woman coming to shove me.

"No, no! Damn you," Natasha said, pounding against my chest. Her friend pulled her away from me, trying to console her as the small woman shouted and screamed at me. "She was my friend! She was your wife and she was sick! And you killed her?"

"I loved her," I shouted in response, my throat feeling raw. "And it was her choice to die by my hand. But there is nothing to be done now."

Natasha turned her back on me and Tony landed beside us, Steve starting to call out orders. "I need you on that roof over there Barton, eyes on everything. Call out patters and strays- think you can hold them off," he asked, Barton pulling out an arrow and nocking his bow. "Captain it would be my genuine pleasure." Rogers nodded and turned to Tony, "You've got the perimeter; if anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash. Natasha, you and I are staying here on the ground, keep the fighting here. Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You've got the lightning - light the bastards up! And Hulk? Smash!"

Tony came over to me and gripped my soldier, talking low for only me to here. "Look, I know how hard it must have been to do it and we'll all have time to grieve once this is over- she was part of this team. And we couldn't protect her from Loki, but you can be damned sure we'll avenge her, Thor," he said, his words a comfort to me.

"Thank you," I said, swinging Mjolnir before taking to the air. I found my place upon the tallest building I could see underneath the portal and summoned a massive storm, the clouds black and full of pain, wrath and ire. The wind whipped around me harshly, smelling of the smoke that rose from the destruction of New York. I screamed as I channeled the lightening through Mjolnir and directed it to the portal, all the life there going up in flames as the energy surged through them. I kept the current, the power shaking me to my very core. I turned to see Loki speeding through the air, my brother snatching one of Barton's arrows out of the air before it impaled him in the face. It exploded and threw him through the air, my brother landing back in Stark Tower- the storm intensified as I realized that he was there once more with my wife and child.

A massive creature braved the lightening to slither out of the portal, my eyes growing wide as the Leviathan from my mythology made its appearance. I watched as it came nearer before changing the direction of my lightening bolt and striking it dead, but then there were more and I thought that the siege would never stop.

I attempted to hold on to the current as a small shape went streaking across the horizon, seeing a red and gold blur chasing behind it.

"What are you doing Stark," I questioned, seeing as he grasped the object and turned its path exactly to where I stood. He moved at the last possible moment, giving me a knowing nod before speeding past me into the portal. I returned to Stark Tower, the storm ceasing as I landed by Natasha. "What is he doing?"

"The government was planning to bomb the city to stop the attack but Tony's taking the nuke and throwing it into Chitauri territory. Now I just have to wait to close the portal," she murmured, holding the scepter. I looked to Selvig and he nodded, eyes the normal color, "I made a fail safe."

I turned my attention back to the hole as the explosion sounded through both worlds, seeing all of the Chitauri in Midgard falling down and collapsing, dead. "Come on Stark," Natasha murmured, holding the staff at the ready. I shook my head, seeing how slowly he fell, "If you do not close it now, that explosion will destroy both worlds. Keep it there!"

She looked at Tony helplessly before shoving the staff in the device holding the Tesseract, the power going to the portal ceasing immediately.

Natasha dropped the staff and watched as the hole closed, Stark falling through just in time. "He is not moving- and he is not slowing down," I said, preparing myself to go after him. But the Hulk was already there, Banner swinging across buildings to catch him. I watched as they tumbled to the ground, taking Natasha and going to meet them. Tony laid on the ground, motionless as Steve knelt at his side. Banner was pacing, waiting for his word and breathing angrily. "I don't have a pulse-" Bruce leaned over Stark and roared, the motionless hero startling awake. "Ah! What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me," he said, panting as Steve stood and shook his head. "We won… in a sense."

Stark looked at where the Hulk was glaring at him and laughed, "Alright we won, hey! Good job, big guy! Let's just not come in tomorrow- we'll take a day."

"We have unfinished business with a certain demi-god," I said, looking up at Stark Tower.

When Loki awoke from his collision into the building, we were all standing over him, my brother smiling as he nursed his wounds. "If it's all the same to you Man of Iron," he said, wincing when working around what I suspected were broken ribs. "I will have that drink now."


	16. Burdens

I prepared Halea's body for travel back to Asgard, looking up when the door opened. It was Steve, his face somber as he came to stand beside me. I placed the cloth that I had been bathing her body with back in the bowl of water by her head, and looked up at him, smiling sadly. "I was wondering if you needed a hand," he said, seeing the weary look on my face. I nodded and gingerly rolled Halea onto her side, "It is the knife wound. I know not how to close it and it seems wrong to leave her like this…"

"I'll do it," Steve said, moving to get a needle and thread before returning, carefully sewing up the wound. "I guess you all don't have stitches in your world," he murmured after he was done, shooting me a half-smile. "To have this in a… living being seems barbaric. Besides, our healing crystals would be better."

I looked down at her pale body before dressing her, Steve there to lend a hand when I needed it.

"What's going to happen once you're back in Asgard?"

"There will be a three-day mourning period in which there will be no manmade light in all of Asgard. After that, she will be given funeral rites and her body will be placed upon a pyre to be sent to our Great Ocean. I will light the kindling there and walk her out from the bank before pushing her off. Her soul is already in Valhalla- all of that will just be formalities," I murmured, removing her wedding ring. With a sigh, I stared down on her, shaking my head. "She knew that we were no match for her and we were not: she was a… supernatural creature, skilled in the art of war and conquering, and also able to control the shadows. Hers was a sacrifice that will reverberate deep within the hearts of Asgard, Halea having given her life so as to spare countless others. I loved this woman, this sweet, gentle soul…"

Steve reached out and gripped my shoulder, "If there's anything I can do, Thor. Anything."

"The children," I said, inclining my head thankfully. "They must see her."

He left and returned shortly, my children in tow. Theia looked as if she had been crying, Cierian's lower lip quivering slightly as they came to me. I knelt down to take them in my arms, trying to hold in my tears for their sakes. "You both know that ama has gone to Valhalla- she is in peace and so there shall be no tears shed here, understand? She would not want that, from any of us," I said, pulling back to take in their faces. My son nodded and Theia only buried her face in my vest, whimpering quietly. I lifted them both into my arms and went to stand over Halea, my twins seeming unable to look at her for a moment.

Halea was clad in blank leggings and her favorite boots, shined and tied about her calves with the utmost care possible. Underneath her armor was a long-sleeved black top, and she wore her vest and cape, her sword laid once more within her grasp. She did not wear Loki's necklace any longer, a chain from Natasha draped around her throat. I knew that she would have a dress made for her funeral, but it was the best I could do here in Midgard in preparation for her final journey. Halea looked as if she were sleeping, hair spread in a halo around her head and her lips parted ever so slightly as if to let breath pass through. But there would be no more breath, no more kisses, no more caresses or embraces, no more fingers wrapping around my own… no more whispered promises that had yet to be fulfilled.

"Come along now both of you," I said, seeing acceptance on their young faces. "It is going to be alright, for we will see her again, waiting with welcome arms when we journey at the end of our lives to Valhalla."

* * *

Loki- wearing a binding mask upon his face- and I supported the board holding the body of Halea upon our shoulders, our free hands holding the Tesseract and a device built around it by Erik to turn it into a key. Theia and Cierian stood at my side, Nick sending us off. "When I had the idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, I knew that we would need them to fight the battles that we never could, to make the tough decisions… to make those ultimate sacrifices. Halea died a hero and we as a world are forever in her debt. Whatever you need, call on us and we will answer," he said looking at me seriously. I inclined my head, thankful, "Do not fear, friend- you will see me again, very soon in fact. The rune in New Mexico was destroyed and well, we as a people are fond of Midgard. Goodbye Nick Fury."

"Goodbye Thor."

I looked to Loki as the twins took a hold of my legs and we both turned the locks on the Tesseract's box, activating it once more to facilitate our own portal. "To Asgard," I shouted, feeling myself blur out of existence. We appeared back in our realm upon the Bifrost bridge, Heimdall coming to meet me.

"Welcome home my king. You have fought a tough battle, and should relax if only for a moment- your liege are on their way," he said in his deep, impassive voice. I nodded and took a deep breath, preparing myself for what awaited me in our homecoming, "Thank you Heimdall."

"Thor!"

Sif came riding upon her horse, slowing when she saw what a burden I carried. "Oh no. Please no- Halea," she said, getting down and coming to throw her arms around my neck. The Warriors Three were right behind her, racing to where I stood. "Sif, take the children with you to the castle please. Fandral, send for my mother and father- bring them to me in my chambers. Volstagg, can you escort Loki to the prison? And Holgun, would you help me bear her back home," I asked, all of them moving to do my bidding.

The entire kingdom was put into mourning at daybreak, one bell ringing throughout all of Asgard. I sat in my room, a goblet of wine in my hand as I stared at nothing at all. My children were playing and several of Halea's maidens were watching over her body, waiting to prepare it for her final rites.

The door to my suite opened and I moved to greet my parents, my mother rushing in. "Is it true? Is my child dead Thor," she asked, her hand clutching at her heart. I went and embraced her, Frigga collapsing in my arms. She was hysterical, Odin-Father attempting to console her as I held her and waited for the shock to pass. "Tell me- tell me what happened," Frigga demanded, looking at me. I recounted the entire tale of the happenings on Midgard, faltering over the place where Halea had forced me to promise her to end her life and when I had had to carry out her last wishes. By the time I was done, I was crying, unashamed even though I had been raised by my parents to stand strong even in the worst of situations.

"But it is what she wanted," I said, holding my head in my hands. "For the children, for… us."

The All-Father moved and rested both of his hands on my shoulders, letting out a sigh that was burdened with intense pain. "We could not get to Midgard because of the rune but I tried to keep track of what happened down there. We should have been there to fight Thor… to save her," he said, the guilt evident in his voice. I shook my head and sucked in a shaky breath, "It was not your fault father. The ruin was destroyed when Loki came through the portal; and it would not have helped. Halea's fate was sealed before we left Asgard."

"We will survive somehow," Frigga said, patting my knee as she sniffled. "We will get more nurses and extra help around the castle-"

"The children will be fine. You know that we attempted to raise them with as little help possible, to have them as normal children and not as royals raised by nurses. It is going to be difficult, but I will have to make do- I will not marry again either. I already have my heir," I said, pulling Halea's wedding ring out of my pocket and staring into the jewels there. Frigga made to protest- a king was said to always be in need of a queen, but my queen had died in saving a world… no, a universe and I wanted no other.

I thought of Loki and stood, sighing, "I am sorry to leave but I must go see my brother."

"You know that… after, he will have to be punished. A punishment you must carry out," Odin-Father said knowingly. I nodded and went down to the seldom used prison underneath the castle, Loki shackled in his cell.

"Open it," I said to the guard, stepping into the low doorway and sitting on the bench across from my brother.

I pulled out the locket that Halea had worn and gave it to him, tears coming to his eyes. "She wanted it, did she not? Asked you for death?" When I was silent he shook his head, staring at the wall, "I did not put her underneath the power of the Tesseract, but in my heart, I knew I could not release her from it. I knew that when I did, that she would go running back to you in that first moment- she chose you. She had always chosen you… but you know it- you must- that she loved me too."

"I know," I replied quietly, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"I could have made her happy, just as happy as she was with you," Loki said, still unable to meet my eyes. "She would not have been a queen upon a throne, but she would have always been the queen of my heart. We would have had children and lived in the mountains- she always loved the mountains. She said they gave her clarity… was her heart clear when she died? Was she at peace, brother?"

I nodded, thinking back on her last moments, "I believe she was. In her last breath, she told me that she saw Valhalla. Halea died a warrior's death and was given a warrior's heaven."

"And she deserves it."

We sat in silence for a long time before Loki turned to me, his green eyes searching my own as his lips parted for him to speak. "She is dead because of me. I took her away from her children, away from you. Away from existence completely," he spoke, realization dawning on him. I wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he was wrong… but the long chain of events leading to her death had been wrapped around Loki.

I instead stood up and moved to smooth down his hair, sighing heavily.

"It will be alright Loki. Absolution comes to us all, at one time or another."

"And Hel awaits me, does it not? What is to be my punishment- for if it is death, I wish for it now," Loki said, looking up at me as he grasped my hand. I knelt down in front of him and shook my head, "I already have the blood of my wife upon my hands; I will not have the blood of my brother stain them as well."

Loki laughed as I stood, the sound pitiful and humorless, "Even after this we are brothers?"

"Always," I replied, walking out of the cell and going to retreat to my home and to my children, the only true solace I had left.


	17. Safe In Warm Arms

I stood on my balcony, my head hanging as I sighed. I tired of the constant ache in my heart and knew that I was both bad-tempered and miserable, lashing out at the people who deserved it least. A veritable army of maidens and servants bustled around my castle, cleaning and preparing for the final feast of thanksgiving for Halea. The many kitchens and massive dining hall was already cleaned and sparkling, the tapestries being completed by tireless seamstresses in mere hours that detailed all of my wife's past glory. I should have been thankful to be done with the war and be back in Asgard- I should have felt at home once again, but all I felt was empty.

My mother came up behind me and rubbed my back, her touch a consolation.

She tried to talk to me, stroking my hair as she had when I was a child, "Thor, your heart is heavy. I know you must grieve, and that you must do it in your own way upon your own terms, but you cannot do it like this."

"If you know another, easier way in which to mourn the loss of my other half- my true other self, please let me know," I replied almost hatefully, sniffling.

"Son, when is the last time you slept," Frigga asked, moving to look at me. I took her hand and held it to my cheek, "The last time I held her in my arms… I came home and I could not lay in that bed without Halea beside me: its not right. And so then I sat in my throne all night, trying to find some reason to this. But there is no reason, no sense…"

I was not sure that I could survive without Halea, not when I missed her so much. It felt like a part of my soul was gone and in truth, I was thankful that I had not eaten through my own stomach with all of the bile I had built up in the past days since her death. I would become physically, violently ill frequently, trying to expel the pain even though that was only a dream.

Another bell rang, marking the second day of mourning and a tear coursed down my cheek, my mother wiping it away.

I looked out over Asgard as the suns came over the horizon, my bottom lip quivering. As far as I could see, everything was green and bursting with life- it was spring. It was the embodiment of birth and life, all the more painful because life should not have gone on without Halea. The sight of the morning suddenly disgusted me, seeing the sunrise and knowing that fate had cruelly extinguished a light that had burned just as brightly as the suns. I wished that all time had stopped when her heart did, that time ceased to move as she had ceased to exist.

For a long, overwhelming moment, I could not bear breathing, leaning against the balcony for support. My mother called my name, startled by the way I hyperventilated, "Thor? Thor- what is the matter? Breathe my son, do not do this to yourself!"

I felt my legs go from underneath me and I knew no more, the world going black.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of crying, pulling my face out of my pillow and standing. I was clad in only my pants- someone had taken care to undress me after my collapse and taking in the slight figure in the rocking chair at my bedside, knew that it had been my mother. I pulled on a shirt and went to the children's room, hearing my son call out for his mother.

"Cierian, wake up," I said quietly, stroking his hair as I knelt down at his side. He opened his eyes and I wiped away his tears, my child looking at me. "It is okay sweetheart. Do not cry, there is no need to cry."

"I miss ama. I never had a chance to tell her that I love her- I never told her goodbye," he said, trying not to choke on his sobs. I hated Halea being gone, her children not having her to comfort them. I lifted my son into my arms and rocked him, soothing him back into sleep the best I could.

When I returned to my own bed Frigga was gone, leaving me to myself.

I sat on the edge of my bed, forearms braced upon them as I attempted to simply breathe. I felt a soft hand press against my chest and froze, the scent of vanilla and spices filling the air. I exhaled quietly, raising my head, "Halea?"

"I am here," her soft voice came, a light pressure pressing against the top of my head.

I turned slowly and she half-smiled at me, moving from the place where she knelt on the bed behind me. Her hair was long once more, eyes bright and lively. It seemed as if her inner light was finally showing through, her visage surrounded by a golden glow. She wore a white nightgown and was barefoot, moving kneel down on the floor between my legs. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth in an effort not to scream out. I could feel the small tremors coursing through me and tried to control them, but they gained strength until I was shaking.

"Why are you here," I asked, my hands tightening into fists.

"Because you needed me."

Her fingers pulled through a lock of my hair and I flinched, Halea letting out a sigh. "You must let it out Thor. I know you and you will crush yourself underneath the weight of your own grief unless you release yourself from your burden," she said, taking my hand and grazing my fingertips against her lips. She wrapped her arms around me and I was surrounded by warmth, her voice in my ear, "I have you. You are safe."

I felt her lips at my temple and shattered, a great crashing wave of pain washing over me. I trusted her, my hand gripping her tightly. I made no noise as a torrent of tears streamed from my eyes, breathing rough and ragged. I was adrift in a raging sea and she was my own solace, the pain washing from my soul. She stayed with me for what seemed like an eternity, waiting silently for the storm to pass. When it had finished she moved me up in the bed and placed me within the linens, holding me within her arms.

"You know that we faced death before, but I never truly thought that you would die… at least not for a long time. I never realized how fragile we are- how mortal we are- and how little time we had together as we were supposed to be. You are the only woman I had ever loved, my closed friend… I never deserved your heart," I whispered, feeling her stroking my hair.

"But I gave it to you anyway," Halea whispered, kissing my cheek. "And I would again."

I clutched my pillow, staring at the wall, "I will not accept being without you. Not when I had you for such a brief amount of time and lost you. I have your blood on my hands, sweet…"

"We all have blood on our hands husband, but you cannot dwell on that or you will tear yourself apart and unfortunately enough for you, I will not let you do it. You have to look after our children- I want you to raise them as we were going to. You know my wishes and you must do for them what I cannot," she replied, sighing quietly. I clutched her hand and pressed it to my chest, holding her close. "You are not really here, are you? I am just imagining this in my mind?" Halea chuckled and pressed a kiss to my neck, "Just because you are imagining this does not mean that I am not here. I will always be at your side, maybe not in body, but always in heart and in spirit."

"Will you stay until I sleep," I questioned, closing my eyes.

I felt her warm fit itself into my back, inhaling deeply, "You may sleep Thor, and find some peace."


	18. Absolution Comes To Us All

My eyes gazed out over the city, Asgard thrust into darkness in lieu of Halea's funeral. The small river beside me bubbled gently over the rocks, my perch a quiet ledge in the Asgardian mountains. A warm and gentle breeze caressed my face and I knew the sun was not far from making its arrival, a stronger gust playing in my hair. I knew that I was supposed to be home, rousing the children and making those final preparations, but could not find the strength to move. I could see the pyre-ship bobbing at the bank next to the Bifrost Bridge and closed my eyes- I shed no tears even though I was practically sick with missing my wife, knowing that sooner, rather than later that I would go to her. I hated the thought of leaving my children and they were the only thing that had kept me from following my wife to Valhalla in the moment after her death.

My mind relived the thousand-plus years spent with Halea: all the sweet things she did to make me want to throw her down and make love to her, all the silly things she had said to make me laugh when my heart needed it the most. The many times in which she had been the one to make me see reason, times in which she had angered me, times in which I had been utterly thankful to have her- all the time.

I breathed in the cold mountain air and leaned my head back to look at Freyja. I had brought her out instead of Slepnir to give her some air- I knew that she felt the loss of her master profoundly and I sought to comfort her as well as I could. I stood and moved to stroke her mane, Freyja tossing her head before resting it against my shoulder. "Such a wise, beautiful creature. It is no wonder why she loved you- you are indeed like her," I murmured, pulling a sugar cube out of my pouch and treating her. I stood for a moment longer before straddling the mare's back and heading back down the mountain, arriving at my home just after daybreak. Sif was awake and waiting for me, stretched out on my couch. There was food laid out on the small feasting table before her and although it smelled appetizing, I did not want it.

"You have been gone several hours. You look more pale and tired… and sad than I would have believed you possibly could," she murmured, rising and walking to where I was in front of the door. Her deft hands began working at the ties on my vest, my hands reaching up to grasp hers tightly, "What do you think you are doing?"

"I am being a good friend Thor. People will be coming to pay their respects soon and you must be presentable- I would not approach you like this. You know me better than that," Sif replied, hurt by my quick assumption. I swallowed and she bent before me, unlacing my boots and sliding them off of my feet with little effort. She then stood and stroked my cheek, sighing quickly, "You are my best friend and I hurt to see you hurt. I know that sometimes my actions may be forceful and misconstrued, but you must know that I love you and would never do anything to harm you. Our past is exactly that: our past and we are friends now- Halea was my friend. And I know that she would have wanted me to help you through this, for Theia and for Cierian. So let me do that, Thor; let me help you."

I embraced her like I never had before, inhaling deeply to keep my voice from wavering. "I will need you now, more than ever. And especially today," I replied gruffly, feeling her arms come around me. She nodded and we stayed that way for a moment longer before Sif released me, pushing me towards the bathroom. "I will lay your clothes out and get the children up. Get a bath and brush your hair…"

We all moved to the throne room and I watched as Halea was brought in and laid upon a bed of silver, her maidens making sure she looked exactly as she was supposed to. I left the children to sit and removed my crown, walking down the steps of my dais to where my wife was.

"Oh my sweet," I whispered, bending down to press my lips to hers. Halea's mouth was still soft and I smoothed back her hair, standing to take her in.

She was clad in a dress of soft olive, with her fur-lined cape around her shoulders and her feet clad in white slippers. Halea's curls were brushed and styled, her circlet upon her head. Her eyelashes were long and dark against her cheeks, which were tinted pink, her full lips still slightly parted and upturned in a smile. I removed her wedding ring from my pocket and slipped it onto her finger, returning Brunhilda to her hands once I was done. I had requested her to look exactly like this, reminiscing about the moment in which I had first laid eyes on her and knew that I loved her- that I would make her my wife. We had still been young and it was the eve of our first visit to Midgard, Halea coming from her chambers to soothe me in my anxiety. She had been holding a candle, walking towards me like a beacon of light.

I returned to my seat and reclaimed my crown, my parents coming to join me as we prepared for the flood. Frigga stroked my hair comfortingly before picking up Theia and kissing her cheek, trying to occupy her mind. Odin- Father stood over my shoulder and I turned to my young son, holding my hands out to him, "Come child and sit with me."

The guards opened the door to the throne room and people began to file in, in their arms gifts, flowers and offerings to their deceased queen. The sounds of their mourning where painful to hear, Cierian burying his face in my armor the best he could to block out the loud mourning cries and prayers for his mother. It was strange to see so many faces I knew, familiar and yet so altered by the ravages of grief. I thought of what a gulf now existed between them and myself- how they grieved for a woman they had never truly known and lost, when she was never theirs to lose. It was the place she had held in many hearts, having sacrificed her own wants in lieu of accompanying me in banishment, bringing me back to Asgard after helping to prove me- once a selfish prince- worthy, holding the throne as their queen, giving me an heir and now as a martyr to have saved the Ten Realms from utter chaos and destruction.

She had been loved by many, and loved by all.

It was a great irony when her birth had made her an outcast amongst these people who feared her lineage and what she could do. Many gods and goddess had powers and abilities, but not without the help of some contrivance or instrument, and nothing as dark as hers. I -and in retrospect, Loki- had been the only ones to stand so close to her flame when all others had drawn away from the brightness and the heat, unafraid to be burned. I felt as if I were on fire upon my very throne, feeling the flames lick my face- I felt wild, haunted as the emotions welled up within me. I should have burned along time ago for loving her when I was in the throws of Halea's inferno and I would have died peaceful, not being worried about having to exist, trapped in the slow death that the rest of my life would be without her.

"You made a promise," I murmured, rising from my throne.

Everyone looked at me and I removed Mjolnir from my hip, handing it to my father. "Do you respect my decision," I questioned quietly, Odin- Father fixing his one eye upon me. I knew he saw my resolve and sighed, shaking his head, "I cannot say that I do, but I understand it."

"And I guess that is all that I can ask from you."

I removed my crown and the majority of my armor, tossing it to the side. I kissed my daughter and patted the top of my son's head once before going to where Halea laid, laying aside all of her belonging until she only wore her dress. Lifting her into my arms, the crowd parted for me and I carried her body away, all of their eyes upon me. As I moved through the streets of Asgard, the entire populace seemed to follow, our exodus bringing us to Heimdall's Observatory.

"What you seek is not easily recaptured," he said knowingly as I stepped into the Observatory.

"I captured her once Heimdall- and I plan on doing it again. The Tenth Realm, please."

* * *

"Well, well brother. It has been some time."

Hella looked at me, the ghost of a smile on her face- I knew that she was most likely incapable of smiling- as she regarded me. "Things must have changed in Asgard; I do not remember man being allowed to carry around the corpse of his wife, especially not when her pyre awaits," she said, her voice like a whisper upon the wind.

"She will not be given rites. Not when she will return to her body-"

"You know that such things are never done, King of Asgard," Hella snapped coldly, her words coming out in a hiss. I only shook my head, walking towards her, "Because there are people too powerless to even try. You and I both know that your sister- your other half- is stronger than that; and if she finds herself weak, she has me to carry her."

She walked towards me and I laid Halea down, preparing myself for confrontation. "So many times you came and took her from me when we both knew that she belonged here in the Tenth Realm. Not this time Thor- she is dead and she will remain that way. I know my sister and she will not return with you, not when she is finally being given the glory she deserves in Valhalla. I believe it is time you should go-"

"I am not leaving without her," I replied sternly, taking a menacing step towards her. Hella's reply was biting and for the first time, she actually seemed to show emotion, "Then you should resign yourself to a fate in the underworld Thor." I grabbed her arm tightly, looking at the two hazy spots where Valhalla and Hel lay. She smiled cruelly, motioning to the paths as if to give me permission. "Take your pick-"

"Hella!"

The sister of my wife wrenched away from me and looked down at Halea's body, "Look at her- your wife is dead Thor! And if you were to go in and try and rip her out of Valhalla, it would crush her! Time… it passes differently in the underworld- hours have passed in Asgard even in the short amount of time you have been here. In Valhalla, its been years for her; and Halea… Just let her soul rest and be thankful that you had her for as long as you did. Be thankful that she loved you. Be thankful that you still have your children and simply let her rest!"

"You would not ask that of me if you felt my loss," I murmured, Hella's eyes flashing with some semblance of pity.

She walked to me and placed her hand to my cheek, shaking her head. "She had been broken so many times, in so many ways- broken by you. And now she is whole-"

"We are not whole unless we are together. Let me in to Valhalla!"

"It is a hall for warriors, not for selfish kings! I cannot simply allow you entrance that you do not deserve- there is a payment for entry and it is not one to be simply given," Hella shouted back at me. I asked her the cost, turning out my pockets before she glared at me. "The price is that of blood, of life. Are you prepared to give that Thor, not knowing if she will follow you out of the dark? Not knowing if even you yourself will come back to your life, to your children?"

I looked at the keeper of the underworld and inhaled, "I will pay your price."

"Then you are truly a fool."

She thrust her hand literally through my chest, her hand phasing through my flesh as if it were simply water. I shouted in agony, attempting to pull away as I felt her fingers wrap around my heart tightly. "Welcome to Valhalla, my King," Hella seethed, death coming quickly, my last gasp one of shock and pain. Darkness surrounded me and I was thrust into oblivion before sucking in another breath, standing exactly where I had been at the moment of my death. Hella regarded me again and looked towards the door that had been hidden behind the haze, a golden light shining beyond it.

"Your glory awaits," she said impassively, turning back to her post. "But I would hurry."

My body laid beside Halea's, my eyes open, unseeing. It was strange to see my own body and I turned away from the disturbing sight, walking down the path paved in gold and up the stairs to the Great Hall, pushing open the door gently.

I was greeted by music and feasting, the many gods and goddess of years past turning to look upon me. "Oh, it is the King of Asgard, Thor! Welcome home brother," they said, coming to embrace me. Yet, I only had eyes for Halea, my wife sitting upon a table. Her eyes were unfathomable as she stood and took me in, barefoot and dressed in a flowing white gown. "Thor Odin-son… we meet again," Halea said, walking towards me. I could not contain myself and went to her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. I clutched my wife against my body, my heart seeming to race as I held her within my embrace, "I thought that I had lost you forever."

"It has felt for forever, it seems. But looking at you, I know that it has not been," Halea said, pulling away just enough to stroke back my hair. I shook my head and looked at her sadly, "You have not even been given a funeral yet. I could not do that, knowing that there was a chance-"

"A chance for what," she asked, pulling away from me even further. "You want me to go back to… Thor, you would have me go back to that corpse?"

I pulled her away from all of the others and her face was angry, her eyes radiating with hurt, "I have been here for so long and I do not want to leave, to go back to- to that half of an existence! Nothing can compare to what Valhalla is and all that it embodies-" I held her face in my hands and gazed into her colorless eyes, trying to make her see reason. "My love, can you seriously say that the life we had was half of an existence? Truly," I questioned, Halea shifting her eyes away from me.

"Your future is safe, Thor. You have the throne and the Aesir, our children- everything you need to be happy," she murmured, unable to look at me.

"Everything except for you."

It felt as if my whole world was going dark the more I talked to my wife- I did not want to leave her, knowing that I would be going back to half of an existence without her. Unbelievable hurt and anger rose within me, feeling foreign in such a setting. Halea continued to talk, bringing my hands down and holding them within her own, "Some would disagree with you-"

"And I disagree with you Halea," I said, leaning in towards her. "It does not matter that you were born a child of shadows and I one of light. What matters is what you have done, who you have become. You could not be any less good and light and important in my eyes Halea. Your will is strong, you are honest, and you are… or were driven by something far beyond possessions and wealth- it was life, it was family… it was love."

Her breath wavered in the air between us, her face close to my own as her fingers caressed my cheek. "I tried Halea, but I could not find it in my heart to accept that I would never be with you again- it felt as if something was stolen for me and I knew that wherever it had been taken, that I would only be a lesser man not to chase after it. I was half of something bigger than the both of us and when you… I became a fraction of what I was. You are asking me to live like this, asking me to be okay and act as if nothing is wrong when everything is wrong Halea- everything is utterly wrong in a world in which you do not exist," I said, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. She smiled tearfully and brushed at my cheek, sighing, "You make me feel like a bad person now for feeling so complete here. And here I was, missing you all this time and believing that you and your new wife were running around with all of your children-"

"Do you think so lowly of me?"

Halea only laughed and I kissed her passionately, breathing in her essence in a way that I had never been able to. We broke apart when she needed to inhale, something that I knew in this plane was strictly reflexive. "I wish I would have told you one last time how much I loved you... I was not everything you needed me to be while you were all I could ever need- and more. But if you come back with me- Halea, I promise you- I swear it- I will be whatever you want me to be: protector, friend, confidant, warrior, lover, your heart and your forever. I understand now that what I am does not matter outside of you. You are what matters to me because you are my choice and I was yours- you chose me once. Just chose me again and I will make sure that your half of an existence becomes whole; I will do anything and everything," I promised her, Halea seeming to search my eyes for the truth there.

"Halea, my heart is within you."

"And mine is within you," she choked out, her hands moving against my chest. "Take me home."

I kissed her hand and pulled her back towards the door, feeling as if there was a weight crushing down on me. I knew that Halea felt it as well but she did not speak of it, hers an act of selflessness as she gave up what was rightfully hers to allow me to be egotistic. I had loved her enough to have let her go- yet, I had not fathomed how hard it would be to try and live without her. It would have been a superhuman feat and I was but a simple man.

The world outside of Valhalla seemed cold and bleak as soon as I stepped from the threshold, feeling as if I were falling into an abyss. And then I was upon the ground, my heart racing almost painfully as my spirit resumed residence in the lifeless shell I had left behind. "Not many men have had the strength to return from the beyond," Hella said, her eyes flickering to me impassively.

I moved to take Halea in my arms, my hand stroking her face. There was no sign of life, no heartbeat, no pulse. "What have you done," I whispered, looking at the gatekeeper. "What did you do?"

"I have done nothing for it is not my task, but yours. Take her to the river Styx and restore her."

Her words confused me, but I stood and moved to the murky waters of the River of the Dead that Hella stood before, my wife heavy in my arms still. I waded in from the bank, the small waves crashing against my thighs- the water felt like ice and frozen needles seemed to prick my skin. Yet, I continued on until she was floating before me, her body growing increasingly cold in the water. Hella surfaced at my side, looking at me, "Do you trust me?"

"Would you trust a snake," I countered, the ghost of smile appearing on her face once more.

"Fair enough."

She took my hands and using them, thrust Halea into the river between us, her eyes locked on my face. The water seemed to boil for a moment, my eyes flashing down to see Halea's staring up at me once more, wide open and trained on me. I attempted to pull her up, but Hella refused to release my hands, the two of us struggling. "Let me go, she'll drown," I said, my wife thrashing in the water. Hella simply stared at me, her gaze impassive, "Not yet Odin-son. Not yet." And then the water cooled again, Halea becoming still as her sister finally let go. I grasped her in my arms and pulled her from the current, my wife gasping and coughing up water. "Halea," I said, clutching her against me. She simply cried and held me- I felt her heart thudding against my chest and her breath against my neck, welcome sensations after our, albeit brief, time apart.

I found the strength to move and pulled her into my arms again, stepping out of the Styx to stand before Hella at the gate.

"Halea," she started simply, her eyes flickering to me again. "This one gave his life to seek you out, sister. You should be so lucky as to have him… even though you know what is to come."

I almost questioned my wife before seeing her nod wearily, knowing that she had to make a much more difficult journey back than I. "Goodbye- rather, see you soon, sister," Halea replied, her farewell strange. I knew that she tried her best to keep estranged from Hella and practically loathed her visits to the Tenth Realm, and so the smile exchanged between them made me nervous.

And then I collapsed, the two of us pulling ourselves over to the rune that would bear us back to Asgard. I moved into a sitting position and took my wife into my arms, "Do I want to know?" She seemed to chuckle breathlessly, moving closer to my chest before closing her eyes.

"You do, but alas, I will never tell."


	19. Truth

Sif stood beside me, murmuring something about the candlelight vigil that was waiting on the road to the castle as she tried to keep me on my feet. My father was with the children, who were undoubtedly confused and upset over the night's happenings. The Warriors Three were doing all that they could to keep people away, trying to protect my privacy and more importantly, my fragile emotions.

"She rests now, my lord," a healer said, coming out of my bedroom.

I nodded, breathing a sigh of relief, and leaned against the wall, hanging my head. Frigga rubbed my back, knowing that I was weary and seeking to comfort me. "You are dead on your feet, son. You should go and rest as well," she said, smoothing my hair back away from my face. I complied as she helped me out of my shoes and shirt, my friends looking on as Frigga took me to bed. I literally fell into my bed, my wife's form still beside me as an inexplicable feeling of fear filled me as I looked at her face. I had gone through so much to get her back, but I knew that it would be so incredibly easy for fate to snatch her from me again.

Anxiety claimed me in a sudden rush and Frigga stroked my hair again but then Halea was moving gingerly, as if her whole body hurt- and it probably did, hurting as much as my own heart did- gentle her hand replacing my mother's. I could feel the tickling, burning sensation in my eyes as tears began to course down my cheeks, my wife whispering to my mother in a broken, gravelly voice, "It is alright, Mother. I have him."

We were left alone in the darkness and she helped me out of my shirt, pulling my legs underneath the silk duvet after some effort. She pressed her toes into my leather-clad calves- her body was slowly but surely returning to a normal temperature, Halea shivering once before I wrapped my arms around her.

"Thank you for coming back to me," I said gruffly, brushing her curls back.

"You needed me."

I looked at her and Halea gave me a half-smile before pressing her lips to my own in a soft but dangerous fashion, tangling her fingers in my hair and pulling me closer. In the brief moments our lips were free, she whispered my name passionately, telling me that she needed and wanted me, as much as I did her. And then I pulled away to allow her to breathe, feeling her heart thudding in my chest, "You must promise never to leave me again." She moved to lay on my chest, folding her hands there and resting her child upon them, sighing quietly. "You already know that that is a promise I cannot make- and I could not, even if I wanted to. But I can promise to do everything in my power not to leave you. The gods only know how difficult it was to…"

I was at home with her in my arms, leaning forward to press my face to her unruly hair for a moment. I had missed everything about her- her playful eyes, her enchanting scent, her haunting voice… everything. She had hurt me and if this were ever to happen again, I would surely die of heartache- a fate I had barely escaped this time around.

Her face seemed more ancient after her return from Valhalla, but serene still, even blissful.

"I had always wondered what happened when we truly died," Halea started, turning away from me to stare at the wall. "I had never feared death or the underworld, but I did dread what would happen upon the physical plane in those last moments. And unfortunately, it was just as I was afraid of… Saying my goodbye to you broke me, broke every tie I had to this body. And maybe that was just part of the process in dying, but… by the Vanir gods, it hurt so badly. I longed to hold the children and to kiss Frigga one last time, hug Odin-Father. As well, I longed for you- I wanted to press my body against yours, feel your arms tighten around me in passion, smell your sweet smell, taste your glorious kisses and feel your lips moving in time with mine as if it were a dance. And then I felt this… peculiar, mystifying sense of peace- peace with all that I had lived through, and all of the loss. It was strange, for so very many years it was only then, in the moment of my death that I could find peace and recognize the complete absence of it in my life before then. My valkyries came calling and it was so strange Thor; yes, I had seen them many a time taking soldiers and warriors off of battlefields to bear them Valhalla but to have them come for me was… different. My soul lifted from my body and I felt as if I were stark naked, my toes curling against the flat rock of that tower. I leaned my body back, arching my stomach forward to feel the wind move more fiercely against my… aura and I stretched my arms out idly, sensing the warmth of Valhalla waiting for me. And then I felt a rush, my soul bursting into a thousand tiny spheres of light.

"And then I was nothing," Halea whispered, moving to look at me once more. "And then I was everything."

I tucked her hair behind her ear and she caught my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm gently, "I was given a queen- no, a king's welcome into the Great Hall. All of the soldiers and warriors that I had rode beside, led into battle and fought with were there, hailing me as a great martyr for this world and countless others. I was clothed in silk as soft as clouds and as light as air itself, given furs on which to rest and a throne upon which to sit at a table of my very own. And we ate and we drank and we laughed… And we discussed what was awaiting us all."

"Ragnarok," I murmured, a soft, knowing smile on my wife's face. "The end to all."

I felt fatigued- all of my muscles ached with even the slightest movement of breathing, but even beyond that, my mind and motivation were both somnolent. Still, we talked into the night, clearing the air of all leftover irritations and trifle moments in which our moments had gotten the better of us. I comforted her as she spoke of the affair with Loki in our youth, her colorless eyes brimming with tears time and time again. We spoke about the bad times and the happy times, times of plenty, and times of few. And about the days where we longed for each other, seemingly alone in our bitter feelings. Much had been revealed this night and then we were quiet for a long time, breathing, holding each other, staring into our beloved's eyes. I did not know how she could see me and see good still left there when I had done so much bad- but there was no mistaking that look in her eyes, not when I knew her so well.

"I am sorry for demanding this of you Halea," I finally said, breaking the silence. "I just wanted more time- I wanted the children to have more time."

"Thor, you do not have to apologize: you are my life. You are my love and I have no regrets."

My fingers traced the long lines of her back and I thought of my place in the world- no matter how long I lived, I would never be any closer to being anything more than what I was now, never understanding my true reason for being here. And although I did not understand whoever- or whatever the high power behind my creation had intended for me, I would embrace it. I would embrace my wife and my children and hold on tight- I would never let go.

Slowly I started to feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, a gentle pull tugging at me. I was not prepared to leave my wife yet and smiled, rolling her underneath me.

"I am falling asleep and I would rather not," I murmured, pressing my lips to hers. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, running her thumb over my bottom lip, "Oh? And how do you suggest we remedy that sweetheart?"

I leaned forward and touched my lips to hers, brushing back her curls once more. Her eyes told me everything, just as they always had, full of trust and unquestionable love. The kiss was soft and gentle, almost tentative, as if it were the first time. And that was exactly as it felt now, raw and new, the both of us seeking something we had never had before: honesty, truth.

Even as we broke for air I continued to rain kisses down upon her eyelids, her forehead, her nose and along her jaw. Her nails ran lightly up and down my back, into my hair, twisting her fingers there tightly and pulling my head back so that she could press kisses up and down the column of my throat. I heard thunder building outside and Halea reached down to grab my backside in her hands, kneading me through my pants. I reached down and undid the laces before kicking my leggings away, pushing up my wife's nightgown around her hips so that our skin was pressed together. She moaned quietly and I pushed her unruly locks out of the way again, kissing her neck, caressing her throat as my heart raced.

"We have all night Thor," Halea said knowingly, staring up into my eyes and pressing her hand to my chest. "Calm yourself."

"I find that task particularly difficult in times like this."

She pressed her hands to my sides and gripped there tightly, my body bucking in response. "My sweet boy," Halea whispered, pressing her lips against mine. I pushed my hips into hers and settled between her thighs, a fierce expression on my face, "I am your man."

"Yes- indeed, you are."

Halea lifted her hips and I buried myself within her fully, that one movement nearly sending me over the edge. Her eyes were burning intensely, feverish as I exalted within her heat, my lips seeking hers. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders tightly as she laced her legs about my torso, holding me in a tight embrace. There was a divine pleasure I had never felt as she brought my mouth to hers, her eyes glazed and pupils large, her complete control surrendered to everything that was happening between us. I pulled away so that I could catch my breath, her back arching and her head flung back into the pillows as my name repeatedly died on her lips.

"Thor," she finally screamed, her body tightening around me as completion overcame her. The intense spasms that wracked her petite frame were powerful and I saw her eyes, locked between here and… elsewhere, Halea pulling my body to hers in a manner that hurt in all the best ways. My own finish was deep and all-consuming, blinding, deafening. My rhythm was lost, erratic until I poured all of myself and being into her, into our marriage.

I collapsed on to her, the feeling of complete exertion almost satisfying. We both panted and I started to pull away, careful of my weight upon her before she laughed breathlessly, holding me tight to herself. "You are not going anywhere my lord," Halea said, rolling us onto our sides even as our bodies were still entwined in the most intimate of fashions. I pulled her to my chest and buried my face in her hair, "I love you so, my wife."

"And it is how I love you."

Our breathing slowed as I held her, running my fingers through her hair. I stared at her throughout the night, seeing how gradually her eyes drifted close and her heart ceased to race against my chest. I held her tighter then and swore to myself that I would never let her go without losing my life first, her presence like a balm to a wound- it healed me in the truest of senses. I felt lulled by her breaths, and felt myself slipping away into oblivion once more.

And this time, I did not fight it.


	20. It Is Yours

I woke up and sighed at the empty bed- the warmth was gone beside me and that meant she had been absent from me for some time, far before the moon had descended upon the night. Dressing unhurriedly, I left my bedroom to enter the children's nursery, standing in the doorway. Halea sat in the rocking chair between their beds, humming softly as she held Theia in her arms and looked down upon Cierian's form lovingly.

"This is the eighth night in a row in which I have found you in here. You should be resting-"

"I have had enough of resting Thor-King," Halea murmured quietly, pressing a kiss to our daughter's curls. "I rested for what seems like a thousand years. Besides, I would rather stare at the miracles we created."

I walked towards her and took Theia from her arms, laying the child in her bed. "I demand it of you that you rest, for you know what awaits us today," I said seriously, extending my hand to her. My wife looked at me with unfathomable eyes and stood, inclining her head.

"If it would please my lord."

Halea and I returned to our bedroom, but neither of us slept that night. She seemed determined not to close her eyes and I would not allow myself to let my gaze waiver from her; I knew that as soon as I did, she would slip away once more. When the morning came, we dressed in silence, my wife clad in a dress of black, a color that was seldom seen in my throne room- it was she, after all, who had demanded only light within our home.

We walked into the room, Asgard's subjects instantly wary at the sight of their queen. I supposed it was only reasonable for it was unprecedented that one should return from the afterlife; we had agreed and accepted as a people that once a life was spent, it should not be restored. But her life had been ended all too soon and by forces that had been unforeseen, and so I had done what was required of me to protect my family. It created a sense of division in the kingdom- but for once, I did not care.

Halea took her seat, seeming regally glacial, her hands folded in her lap and her head held high.

"Bring in the prisoner, Loki Odin-son."

The doors of the throne room opened and along line of guards entered, my brother seeming weak and small. There was no fight left in him and there was weariness upon his face, his green eyes as dim now as they had once been when they were alive with fire. Loki looked up and I saw his entire demeanor change, my brother going weak at the knees. All of the blood drained from his face and the guards had to hold him up, bringing him to stand before me. His lips trembled before a weak gasp escaped him, Halea standing swiftly and moving past me to stand in front of Loki, her hands supporting him. "Is it- is it truly you," he asked in a whisper, his long fingers caressing her face. Halea grasped his hand and I could finally see the love between them for what it was, her eyes brimming over with tears as she kissed his fingers. "Yes it is I, restored," she said, Loki staring at her as if he had never seen her face. They were both sobbing then and I dismissed the guards, only my family remaining.

"Thank you," my brother breathed, his eyes sliding past her to rest on me.

I nodded, even though I had been selfish in my actions- but still hoping to give him some measure of comfort in his internment.

Halea brushed his hair back away from his face, his shackled hands before her in penance. She kissed his forehead and held him, "My sweet Loki." I inhaled and moved towards them, pain curling in my chest. "Brother, Halea has pleaded for your life… but the people of two worlds demand justice, atonement. Loki, I have to punish you! And all I ask is that while you fulfill your sacrament, you find some way to abandon your insanity- I forgive you my brother, Halea has forgiven you and our Asgardian kinsmen will do the same in all due time. We have spared you death-"

"Then what does my punishment hold, Thor?"

I inhaled and cast my eyes down, unable to speak anymore. "My love, you are reprimanded to... a thousand years of solitude in Helreginn's Realm of Shadows. Hella has spoken to him and he is prepared to carry out your sentence before returning you to Asgard," Halea said, her voice breaking repeatedly. It was a punishment that had long been threatened, but never used- Loki would be the first person sentenced underneath that edict. I knew that it would involve immense suffering and pain, two things that my wife's father had been known for. Loki's time in the hell within Hel would be used to break him and although it pained me, I knew that it was necessary. "But before we deliver you to him, we have to strip you of your powers and seal your magic… which lies in your silver tongue, Loki."

He blinked away tears and composed himself before nodding, looking at Halea.

"Are you at peace with your king's verdict," Loki asked, my wife stepping back and swallowing as she took hold of the silver dagger needed to pass down his punishment.

"I am brother, I am."

Loki stood before her, calm even in the face of such pain, "Then take from me that which you seek, for it is already yours. It has always been… yours."

* * *

My body ached as I came up the golden roads into the heart of the kingdom, intent on only one place. Every fiber of my being throbbed from riding- the sense of loss surrounding Loki and his imprisonment was profound, but it had been my task to fulfilled and I had before seeking solace in the wild openness that was the endless plains of Asgard. It had been almost three days since I had been home, pushing Slepnir on with only the thought of a bath spurring me. The gold walls of the castle rose like a mirage in front of me and I let out a sigh, attempting to keep myself from passing out from happiness. The trumpets began to sound to alert the kingdom of their sovereign's return, people rushing out to meet me.

I got down from my saddle with some difficulty and allowed one of the stable boys to take Slepnir, trying not to show any signs of pain. "Thor-King, are you alright," one of the maidens asked me, walking with me up to the castle. I nodded, not trusting my voice and continued through the halls of my castle, reaching my suite. I knew my children were sleeping and decided not to trouble them, going into my bedroom.

Halea was sitting in a chair upon the balcony, a small silver chest in her lap. I knew that it held both the dagger and Loki's tongue under lock and key, the latter of which was strung around my wife's neck upon a silver chain. "He is still a child, stuck in time, taken hostage by his own doom. He will suffer and I worry that it will be too much- did we make the right decision Thor? I know Loki deserves to be punished- he hurt our children, and myself- but…"

"You cannot torture yourself over Loki. I will not let you," I said, my voice breaking. She turned to face me, setting down the small chest and coming to me. "You are more badly hurt than I had first anticipated. I ran a bath for you already."

My body felt strangely weak, as if all of my muscles were atrophying with every single step. I stood before her and she undressed me, her hands gentle. Halea helped me into the tube and tended to me, her presence placing me into a state of amity that I had never experienced before. It made me not regret or rethink my actions or decisions, knowing that I had followed both my instincts and my heart to do what was required of me.

We did not sleep that night, going to stand in her moonlit gardens, my wife releasing my hand to walk ahead of me a pace. I watched as she plucked a flower, Halea twirling the stem between her long, beautiful fingers. She had changed so after her time in Valhalla, seeming almost… ethereal in her mannerisms- everything about her was still there, but it was intensely refined and aged. The silk of her house gown shuddered in waves as she moved, the long line of buttons tracing the length of her spine.

"Scarcely are there more beautiful nights than this one," Halea said, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. I agreed and nodded, moving closer to her. "You never cease to leave me awestruck, sweet… Before, there were creases of worry and circles of exhaustion upon this beautiful face from motherhood. And now, they have gone." She turned into my hand as I stroked her face, a peaceful smile dancing across her lips, "I have nothing left to fear, for I am with you."

She raised up and kissed me, her hands on either side of my neck. Halea allowed me to embrace her, eyes shining with both overwhelming happiness and love. "You have given me everything, more than you could ever possibly know Thor and because of that I am indebted to you," my wife said, our lips touching again and again in lingering kisses. I stroked a ringlet back over her shoulder, smiling at her, "You gave me back my life Halea; consider the debt fulfilled." Many moments passed us by, my focus solely on her as our heart beat in time with each other. Her loving touch surrounded us both in a glorious, golden light- but it was her light, one that exuded from every pore in her body. It permeated through my very soul, the felling of peace and happiness enveloping me as I gazed into the crystalline depths of her life. "I would not be standing here without you. There is no possible way that I could have continued on, so lost was I," I murmured still, holding her.

We looked at each other and she smiled, stroking my cheek. I cleared my throat then, taking her hand in my own, "Loki gave you his tongue-"

"Thor, I don't want to hear this from you," Halea said quickly, placing a finger to my lips before removing it to cover my mouth with her own. I kissed her lips before pulling away, intent on making myself heard. "You may not, but you will hear me upon this night my queen. "I give you my entire body and my being- and most importantly this," I said, pressing her hand against my heart. She smiled widely and shook her head, "I believe you are mistaken my lord, because this particular gift is already within my possession. This heart here, was given to me many years ago in my youth by a certain handsome prince on the eve before a battle. Many a time has it been passed back in forth between the both of us, but my claim on it has never wavered or faded."

"That may be true," I conceded, smiling back at her. "For even the stretch of immortal time cannot outlive my love for you, so if you claim this heart Halea- you may have it, it is yours."

We kissed and I tangled my hand in her hair, pulling her to the ground with me…

Halea laid in my arms, singing quietly as her fingers danced over my bare chest, "As the earth adores the suns, so will I always adore you Thor."

"And as the suns rise upon every day, I promise you myself."

We both let our eyes drift to the west, the morning beginning to descend upon us. The sky was suddenly becoming not only indigo, but a vibrant, blazing orange and a warm, calming yellow as well, with shades of soft magenta and violet still painting the horizon. It was beautiful, Halea raising up on one elbow to smile at the morning. "Do you see it there," she asked as she pointed up at the sky. I strained my eyes and searched before I found out, one lone star, glittering silver, winking once brightly before it retreated into the vastness of the rainbow heavens.

"I was that very star," Halea said, chuckling quietly. "I was every star…"

"And you still are," I murmured, kissing the back of her bared shoulder before doing the butons of her dress. I felt her fingers slip between mine and squeezed gently, wanting never to let her go again. We laid there for a few moments longer before she sat up, stretching leisurely in the heat of the morning. "The children should be up soon. I have to get dressed and then I'm going to hold them in my arms and never let them go." Halea stood and I rolled over onto my back, arms spread as I basked in the happiness that was my life. And then I got myself up, taking her hand, "I'll come with you."

She smiled at me and hand in hand we went to be with our future and forever- our family.


	21. Author's Note:A Thank You and A Question

Alright guys, so its has come to an end!

It saddens me so much but I'm happy with the story and how it all came together- from the reviews and PMs it seems like you guys have enjoyed it as well! Thanks to those who have accompanied me through the entire trans-world journey: you guys kept me going on when all I wanted to do was drop the whole story and quit. However, I love Halea and I love you guys and I couldn't quit on you! But I would like to ask if anyone is interested in that ill-fated romance of Halea and Loki, and that godawful start to our saviors' relationship because I have started some things dealing with the prequel to _A_ _Mighty Heart_ and _A Simple Man_, but if no one is interested, I won't... well, waste my time. Please offer me some input and review and PM! Again, I love you all!

-Elle


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